Paavo Airola - Let's Live - October 1975Index

Prevention and Treatment of Cancer

Nutritional and Biological Approach

The recent breast cancer operations of Mrs. Ford and Mrs. Rockefeller set off a renewed world-wide interest in cancer - fear would be a better word than interest! Americans lead the world in cancer statistics, and there are more women with breasts removed in this country than anywhere in the world. The mass media avalanche which resulted from the White House operations brought renewed fear and despair to every American woman. And hopelessness. . .because everyone "knows" that there is no cure for cancer - only mutilation by cutting out or burning, then hoping one will be among the 64% of those diagnosed with breast cancer who live five years or longer. The government spends $600 million per year on cancer research, yet the recovery rate from cancer today is just as bad as it was in the mid-50's.

In these times of hysterical mass fear of cancer, let me bring to you a word of hope. While orthodox medicine wallows in total darkness regarding the causes and effective treatments for cancer, Biological Medicine, a new, progressive branch of medical science, offers an intelligent, common-sense approach regarding the causes, the prevention, and the cure of cancer.

The basic philosophy of Biological Medicine regarding cancer is that cancer is a disease of civilization, a systemic disease brought about by subjecting the human body to unnatural carcinogenic stresses and the influences of our modern, chemicalized and toxic environment. Cancer is caused by chemical and physical irritation of tissues. Carcinogenic (cancer-causing) chemicals can come from our poisoned air, like lead, cadmium, ozone, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, iodine 131, strontium 90; tars from tobacco smoking; from polluted waters, especially fluoridated water, which is statistically linked to cancer; from chemicalized and poisoned foods, which contain diethylstilbestrol, cyclamates, nitrites and nitrates, excess salt, preservatives, artificial colorings and flavorings, DDT, etc .; from many drugs, cosmetics, and household chemicals; from excessive x-rays; from rancid and stale foods; but also from carcinogenic chemicals that are formed during metabolism within the body as the result of wrong eating habits, especially an excess of protein and the body's inability to properly utilize it. The continuous irritation of tissues and cells by these chemicals, compounded by lowered body resistance, leads to the development of malignancies and tumors. That these carcinogenic substances do cause cancer is well-documented by reputable world-wide research. In primitive societies where air and water are pure and where people eat natural, non-chemicalized foods and are not subjected to environmental chemical assault, cancer is unknown.

Consequently, the logical approach to prevention of cancer. would be not to spend millions of taxpayers' dollars looking for bacteria or virus as the causes of cancer, but to try to clean our environment from toxic pollution and educate our people in proper eating and living habits. For example, nutrition is coming forth as a definite determining factor in causation, prevention, and cure of cancer, yet the amount of money being spent on nutritional research is "close to nil." 1 Until very recently, both the American Medical Association and the American Cancer Society flatly rejected - in fact, labeled as sheer quackery - any suggestion that nutrition has anything to do with cancer.

Meanwhile, the world-wide medical research of the last few years points to nutrition as the most important factor in cancer development, prevention, and treatment. Here are a few facts.

Cancer of the Bowels and Colon

Cancer of the bowels and colon is second only behind lung cancer as a killer. Over 50,000 Americans die every year from bowel cancer. Research done by Drs. Neil Painter and Denis Burkitt 2 shows that the bland and civilized diet of processed, refined foods, lacking roughage and with an excess of meat, leads to constipation and diverticulosis, as precursors of cancer, especially cancer of the colon. Painter and Burkitt's study was surprisingly well accepted by practically all orthodox medical sources and inspired several new studies in universities around the world - all supporting the original conclusion. Dr. H. Marvin Pollard, of the University of Michigan, said, "In countries with high roughage diets, like in Africa, you find the lowest incidence of cancer of the colon. The medical profession in the last twelve months has undergone a great change in the diets it prescribes. It used to be a bland diet for everything, but now it is changing to high roughage." 3

America's second largest cancer killer, bowel cancer, could be virtually eliminated if Americans would change their eating habits from highly refined and overprocessed foods to natural, unprocessed, whole foods, rich in natural fiber and roughage. Whole grains, such as buckwheat, millet, brown rice, beans, and a variety of raw and cooked vegetables, are particularly important. Because of the over-emphasis on the value of proteins and the underrating of the carbohydrates, to which the American public was subjected during the last several generations, our diet is extremely deficient in whole, natural carbohydrates, such as potatoes, beans, and whole grains, It would be smart to make bran a popular food again. Those who will continue to eat constipating food such as meat and refined and processed cereals, would be wise to add 2-3 tablespoons of raw bran to their diet. Another direct link between nutrition and bowel cancer was shown by a research scientist at Cornell University, Dr. Willard Visek. The high-protein diet of Americans, says Dr. Visek, particularly the excessive meat eating, is definitely linked to the high incidence of cancer in the United States. The villain, according to Dr. Visek, is ammonia, which is a by-product of meat digestion. Ammonia is known to be a strong carcinogen, i.e., it can be a direct cause of cancer in humans - cancer anywhere in the body, but particularly of the colon and bowels. 4 Excess of protein in the diet is particularly dangerous to older people whose digestive capacity is impaired with age. 5 It is well-known that almost all cancer victims are deficient in hydrochloric acid and in pancreatic digestive enzymes. Faulty protein digestion results in pathogenic changes and the development of toxins within the body which can lead to cancer in almost every vital organ. The American Cancer Society confirmed recently that meat-eating is the number one cause of intestinal cancers in America. Cancer is caused, the American Cancer Society said, by the carcinogenic toxins created by putrefactive intestinal bacteria which thrive on animal products.

Recent studies by Dr. James E. Enstrom of the University of California at Los Angeles, show that "Mormons in Utah and California have strikingly lower death rates from cancer, even those cancers that are not associated with smoking and alcohol, which they do not use. The cancer death rate in Utah is the lowest of any state in the nation - it is about 25% lower than the national rate. In following their religious doctrines, Mormons eat meat sparingly. Seventh-day Adventists, who are complete vegetarians, show even better cancer statistics. Recent studies by Dr. Roland L. Phillips, of Loma Linda University, show that Seventh-day Adventists in California have a 50-70% lower cancer death rate than the rate of the entire state of California. This applies not only to cancer of the bowels and colon, but to all cancers.

Cancer of the Breasts

With the modern food industries' emphasis on long shelf-life, many foods today are stale and rancid before they are consumed. This is true not only of supermarket foods, but even of many so-called health foods, particularly wheat germ, whole grain flours, some vegetable oils, and processed or ground seeds. We emphasize the importance of whole, natural foods, but keep forgetting that natural, unprocessed foods are extremely perishable. Oil-rich seeds, wheat germ, and other foods turn rancid fast. Not only are the Vitamins, such as Vitamins E, A, and F, for which we eat many of these foods, totally destroyed in rancid foods, but during the process of becoming rancid, extremely harmful chemical substances such as peroxides, aldehydes, and free radicals, are formed. These, by virtue of being strong chemical irritants, can cause cancer. This was reported by the foremost authority on rancid foods in the world, Dr. H. Anemueller, of Germany, and confirmed in animal studies made at the University of Pennsylvania. 6

An interesting study was made by Dr. Nicholas L. Petrakis, professor of preventive medicine and international health at the University of California at San Francisco. Using a special breast pump to examine 1,500 women, Dr. Petrakis discovered that there is a high level of lipid peroxides in the fluid of the breasts of women with high risk of breast cancer. He also found that these stagnant fluids contained not only the peroxides (from oxidized or rancid fats), but also cigarette smoke by-products and other chemicals. Dr. Petrakis suggested that these chemicals may cause cancer in the cells lining the breast ducts. 7

Caucasian women, known for their high incidence of breast cancer, have seven times more lipid peroxides in their breast fluids than women of Chinese descent, who are virtually free of breast cancer.

It would, therefore, be advisable for those who are concerned about breast cancer to-make sure their diet does not contain rancid or stale foods. Vegetable oils most likely not to be rancid would be olive and sesame oils. Make sure that your wheat germ is fresh; it must be less than ten days old after it is milled. Nuts must be freshly cracked and all flour must be freshly ground just before baking. Since rancidity chemicals destroy Vitamins E and A, it would make sense to take extra amounts of these vitamins as supplements.

Leukemia

A high-protein diet, and particularly. excessive meat consumption, results in higher blood and tissue levels of uric acid, urea, and purines, in addition to ammonia mentioned above. All these toxins can be carcinogenic, under certain conditions, but purines are particularly linked with the development of leukemia. A purine-free diet is required in the treatment of all cancers, but is absolutely essential in leukemia. 8 Foods highest in purines are meats, particularly organ meats.

Cancer of Liver and Pancreas

Dr. Mario Cappo, of the University of Modena, Italy, says doctors have recently observed that hepatitis and pancreatitis are caused by excessive consumption of drugs and alcohol. Any drugs, if used in excess, can damage the liver and pancreas and eventually lead to the development of cancer in these organs. 3 Excessive consumption of sugar has similar effects on the liver and pancreas. The high-protein diet also exerts excessive stress on the pancreas and the adrenals, and may lead to the development of pancreatic cancer.

Cancer of the Stomach

Even common table salt, if consumed in excess, can be carcinogenic and cause cancer of the stomach. 9 Studies made in Japan by the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed that the frequency of cancer of the stomach in Japan is definitely linked to the quantity of salt consumed by the natives. The more salt in the diet - the more stomach cancer. 10.

Excessive and continued drinking of scalding hot beverages and eating hot foods may irritate the throat, esophagus, and stomach linings, causing lesions and eventually cancer in these organs. This was confirmed by Dr. Takei Kidokoro, of the University of Tokyo. 3.

Cancer of the Bladder

Recent Canadian research reported startling results linking some of the world's most popular beverages, cola drinks, to cancer of the bladder. 11 Dr. Meera Jain, who conducted the research, could not determine the actual factor in cola drinks that causes cancer but she suspected the caffeine content in them. Alcohol also was indicated by Dr. Jain, as a possible cause of bladder cancer.

Two major artificial sweeteners, cyclamates and saccharin, are also linked to the development of cancer in the bladder. 12

Another popular American beverage, coffee, has also been linked with bladder cancer. A study of 468 bladder cancer patients in eastern Massachusetts showed a definite association of disease with coffee drinking. Doctors concluded that about a fourth of all bladder cancer in men and half of such cases among women might be caused by coffee-drinking. 13

The best natural bladder cancer preventative - in addition, of course, to the elimination of these harmful beverages from the diet - is Vitamin C. On the basis of extensive clinical experience, Dr. J.U. Schlegel, of the Tulane University School of Medicine, reported that Vitamin C can prevent recurrences of tumor formation in the bladder. 14 This water-soluble vitamin should be taken in such ample amounts (500 mg., three times per day) that the excess spills over into the urine and is carried to the bladder. Animal studies show that even when animals were subjected to proven bladder carcinogens, Vitamin C helped to resist bladder tumor formation. Researchers recommended a daily dose of 1,500 mg. of Vitamin C as a "possible preventive measure of spontaneous cancer tumor formation and recurrence in man." 15

Cancer of the Bone

Another increasingly common cancer in the United States, cancer of the bone, is linked to wrong nutritional patterns, particularly to overindulgence in meat by Americans. The connection between dietary meat and bone cancer is long and complicated. The story reads almost like a detective thriller, but if you bear with me I will try to present it to you in a nutshell.

First, consider this medical paradox: the typical American diet contains nearly twice as much calcium as the native diets of most other parts of the world, because of our huge consumption of such calcium-rich foods as milk, cheese. cottage cheese. and ice cream. This would preclude the development of osteoporosis (soft, porous bones), which is caused by severe calcium deficiency. Yet, osteoporosis is one of our most common chronic diseases. We also have more periodontal disease, pyorrhea, tooth decay, and bone cancer - all related to calcium deficiency - than any other nation. This has puzzled many scientists for years.

The riddle was finally solved by a brilliant team of detective researchers from the University of Wisconsin. 16 They have found that although our calcium intake is high, we also eat tremendously greater amounts of protein, mostly because we are a nation of meat-eaters. And the more meat you eat, the more calcium-deficient your body becomes, because protein, especially when eaten in excess of your body's need, cannot be properly disposed of without taking huge amounts of calcium with it. Actual studies show that the urinary loss of calcium increased on a high-protein diet no matter how much or little calcium was consumed. On a low protein diet of 47 grams a day, the loss of calcium did not occur. But when the protein intake was doubled to 95 grams (the average American protein intake), the calcium loss was considerable. When protein intake was raised to 142 grams (and many Americans eat much more than that) the study subjects lost almost twice as much calcium as they obtained from the diet. Where did the calcium come from? From the bones and tissues of the body, robbing them of this vital mineral and causing severe osteoporosis and other related diseases.

Why does meat eating have such a calcium-robbing effect? Simple: meat contains 22 times more phosphorus than calcium. As any nutrition student knows, these two minerals must be present in about equal amounts in the diet in order to avoid imbalances. Also, meat metabolism requires large amounts of magnesium. robbing it from the tissues as well. In addition, the many toxic substances in meat and/or those produced as meat is digested, such as uric acid, urea, purines, ammonia, and amyloid, rob your body of additional calcium, which is used to neutralize and detoxify these poisons. The end result: severe calcium deficiency and osteoporosis. No wonder that only one out of ten Americans who reach the age of 60 have their own teeth left - the other nine must resort to dentures, according to an American Dental Association report. No wonder bone cancer is on the increase! Demineralized and weakened bones are not the only cause of bone cancer but they are certainly a major contributing cause.

The best preventive measure to avoid osteoporosis, and the many serious health problems that osteoporosis leads to, is to cut your protein intake, particularly of meat. Americans are the biggest meat-eaters in the world. Even in health-oriented circles many were mislead to believe that a high-protein diet was a healthful diet, According to official sources, many Americans eat as much as 130-140 grams of protein a day. 17 And Dr. Ralph Nelson, of the Mayo Clinic and Foundation, recently converted to anti-high-protein thinking, says that "most people in this country eat twice as much protein as they need." Even such orthodox nutritionists as Jean Mayer, of Harvard University, advise Americans to "cut down on the amount of beef they eat if they want to improve their health. 18 Your actual daily need of protein is only between 25 and 45 grams a day, according to reliable research. (19, 20) This amount can be safely obtained from a lacto-vegetarian diet without addition of meat. While raw milk is an excellent protein food, supplying also ample amounts of calcium, meat is not, since it is virtually calcium-free. But if you will still insist on continuing with high-protein eating, make sure you supplement your diet with plenty of calcium. Calcium lactate, dolomite, and bone meal tablets are excellent calcium supplements.

These few examples may suffice to show you that there is a definite relationship between your eating habits and the degree of cancer risk you run. Perhaps I should mention also that over-eating and consequent obesity are increasing your risk of developing cancer considerably. Even the National Cancer Institute stated that "there is statistical evidence that overweight persons have a distinctly greater tendency for developing cancer. " 21

Cancer Prevention and Elimination

Now that we know that the causes of most cancers are closely linked with our way of living and eating what is the next logical step? How can cancer be prevented and completely eradicated from the American scene? The answer is both logical and simple: by eliminating the causes of cancer! As we have seen, the basic causes of cancer are tied in with our environment, with our way of life, with our nutrition, with our living habits. By changing our living habits, by improving our nutrition, by eliminating all the known carcinogens in our environment, air, water, and food, we can completely wipe out this dreadful disease of civilization. This is the only way the victory over cancer will be won.

This is easier said than done, however. The crux of the matter is that we do not want to change our living and eating habits! We like what we eat - and we eat what we like, no matter what the consequences. Then, when we are faced with the consequences, we look for a pill that will help us and save us from the tragedy of cancer. We violate all the laws of nature regarding the sound nutrition that would prevent cancer and then hope that some miracle pill will undo all the damage and save us from trouble. We are a pill-oriented people! But there is no pill, no drug, no vitamin, no diet, no specific treatment that will cure cancer. Cancer can only be cured by the body's own defensive and healing mechanism. All you can do - or any doctor can do for you - is to help this self-healing activity within your body by all available means, such as a supportive therapeutic diet, specific anti-cancer supplements, and other effective and proven supportive biological means.

Thus, biological medicine offers the following solution to the cancer problem:

  1. To prevent cancer, eliminate from your life all cancer-causing and cancer-inducing factors as mentioned earlier. Stop smoking; stop drinking polluted water: stop eating devitalized, denatured, and chemicalized foods; stop eating a high-protein diet; stop using carcinogenic cosmetics and household chemicals; observe the rules of healthful living, exercise a lot in clean air, and eat an optimum diet which will build-up your body's resistance - and you can forget about cancer! Cancer will vanish forever not because we cured it, but because we eliminated the causes for its existence. More billions bf dollars given to cancer research will be nothing but a monumental loss of money. Only a radical change in our life pattern, a change from a health-destroying to a health-building lifestyle, will turn the tide and help us to conquer cancer.

  2. If you have cancer already, don't waste your time and money looking for a pill that will cure you. Only your body's own healing and health-restoring mechanism can accomplish that. You can help and speed up the healing process by supporting your body's healing activity with the various supportive means, as outlined in this article. Your body is equipped with a marvelous healing system, more ingenious and effective than any healing system devised by man. This built-in healing system is quite capable of correcting any condition of ill-health if given the opportunity and proper support.
In Part Two of this article (next month) I will report on proven and effective measures used by practitioners of biological medicine to support, stimulate, and activate the body's own healing activity in the battle against cancer. [ Unfortunately, the November 1975 issue of Let's LIVE is not available. ]

References

  1. Greenberg, Daniel S., Columbia Review of Journalism, Jan.-Feb., 1975.
  2. Painter, N. and Burkitt, D., British Medical Journal, May 22. 1971.
  3. Natural Health World and the Naturopath, Vol. 14, No. 5. May 1975.
  4. Los Angeles Times, March 29, 1973.
  5. Werner, L., and Hambraeus, L., Acra Societatis Medicorum Upsaliensis, Vol. 76, No. 5-6, 1971, p, 239.
  6. Schwelgart, H.A., Eiweiss, Fette, Herzinfarkt, Verlad H.H. Zauner, Munchen.
  7. New York Times, March 23, 1975.
  8. Halikowski, B., "Purine-Free Diet for Leukemia," Medical World News, 7:7, May 27, 1966.
  9. Seeger, P.G., German Medical Journal, Hippokrates, Vol. 13, 1951.
  10. Tidskrift For Halsa, No. 2, February, 1972, Stockholm, Sweden.
  11. Journal of the Canadian Medical Association, November 16, 1974.
  12. Bryan, George T., Science, June 5, 1970.
  13. Lancet, June 26, 1971.
  14. Schlegel, J.U., Medical World News, June 21, 1968.
  15. Journal of Urology, Vol. 103, Feb. 1970.
  16. Linkwiler, H.M., et al., Transactions of The New York Academy of Sciences, April, 1974.
  17. FDA Consumer, November, 1973.
  18. Coronet, November, 1974, p. 51.
  19. Scrimshaw, N.S., Journal of American Dietetic Association, 54:94, 1969.
  20. Airola, Paavo O., Health Secrets from Europe, Prentice-Hall. New York. Paperback by Arco, page 75.
  21. "The Challenge of Cancer," published by the National Cancer Institute.

Index