GcMAF at work — Bravo Probiotic — myths of the dangers of dairy products for cancer patients (a talk by Prof. Marco Ruggiero)

For more information on GcMAF, please join the GcMAF and GcMAF Cancer forums on Facebook – they are closed groups, so you have to wait for your membership to be confirmed.  They contain up-to-date information on sources of GcMAF, and also feedback and contributions  by people who are using GcMAF.

Please note:  The opinions expressed in this talk are academic considerations only and they are not intended to represent medical advice to anyone. If you need medical advice, please refer to your healthcare professional.

To listen to the talk:  https://soundcloud.com/bisforbananascisforcancer/02-12-ruggiero-gcmaf-in-action

The GcMAF clinic in Switzeland

What is GcMAF and what is its role in cancer?

GcMAF is like a hormone, a neurotransmitter, a messenger that our body uses to promote wound repair, immunity and improve immune surveillance.

The concept of being cancer-free does not exist.  We always have cancer cells in our body, even from the moment we are born.  This is different from having a cancer that has a mass and infiltrates in our body.  The reason we do not have cancer of this sort is due to a mechanism called immuno-surveillance – the immune system is able to recognise cancer cells and destroy them.  This is called the induction of apoptosis provoked by the immune system.  But sometimes the immune system is no longer able to recognise and destroy the cancer cells and the cancer cells form a mass that we define as a tumour.

GcMAF was discovered by Prof Yamamoto in 1994.  Professor Ruggiero collaborated with him in 2010.

Best of Breast: news for week ending 4 October 2013

A round-up of the latest medical developments in breast cancer from Google Alerts, for the week ending 4 October 2013.

[Google Alerts doesn’t always have the most up-to-date research developments, and is heavy on the first-person stories, Angelina Jolie, fund-raising and charity events, so if I’ve missed something out, my apologies. You are always welcome to post any new developments that I’ve missed out in the comments box and I’ll include them in the compilation, with grateful thanks and an acknowledgement.]

photo credit: technorati.com

1.  Teenage girls who eat peanut butter twice a week ‘reduce their risk of breast cancer by 39%’

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2438566/Teenage-girls-eat-peanut-butter-twice-week-reduce-risk-breast-cancer-39.html#ixzz2gwnjDph3

• Nine to 15-year-olds who eat peanut butter twice a week are much less likely to develop benign breast disease by the age of 30
• Some benign breast diseases increase risk of breast cancer later in life
• The findings also suggest beans, lentils, soybeans and corn also help prevent benign breast disease

Why peanut butter, I asked myself? I’d been told to avoid peanuts because of the alleged levels of aflatoxin, a natural toxin produced by certain strains of a mold.  Aflatoxin is a potent carcinogen, known to cause liver cancer in laboratory animals. The jury is still out regarding the danger of long-term exposure of low levels of aflatoxins.  In countries where peanuts are a staple food, it may contribute to liver cancer.  According to Dr Andrew Weil, commercial peanut butter (in the US) is generally safe:

http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/id/QAA115491

I suppose peanut butter is ubiquitous so it was easy to run the study on a staple food, rather than, say almond butter or cashew butter.  Peanuts are not really nuts, they are a legume.  if you have to eat a nut butter, go for almond butter which has a better fatty acid profile.  And if you have to eat peanut butter, make sure it doesn’t contain any hydrogenated vegetable oil and is low in sugar.

[Note:  aflatoxin imay also occur in maize, rice, figs and other dried foods, spices and crude vegetable oils, and cocoa beans – it’s a minefield!]

2.  Walking an hour a day can cut risk of breast cancer: Brisk stroll can reduce chance in over-50s by 14%

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2443016/Breast-cancer-risk-50s-cut-14-walking-hour-day.html#ixzz2gwuHVMnw

• Women who do more vigorous activities get almost double protection
• Scientists claim this is the first study to examine walking benefits
• It is thought to cut down the body fat that nurtures cancer hormones

3.  New breast cancer imaging technique could cut down on false positives

Hallwang Clinic #9 – Removab antibody treatment (Catamaxomab)

Updated 25 January 2014 with US FDA approval guidelines

Life at the clinic was on fast forward all the time.

Barely two days after my arrival at the clinic I was put on my first treatment, Removab, a tri-functional antibody.

Here’s my layman understanding of what it is all about:

Antibody (from wikipedia)

What is an antibody?

An antibody is a large Y-shaped protein. It is used by the immune system to identify and neutralize foreign organisms like bacteria and viruses.

An antibody recognises what organism to attach itself to and attack, by matching up to a specially-shaped receptor on the organism.  This receptor is called an antigen.

An antigen is a molecule capable of stimulating an immune response, and is often produced by cancer cells or viruses.

Think of the tip of the Y of the antibody as a lock, and the antigen as the only key that fits that particular lock.

photo credit: thecolour.com, with edits

Herceptin is an example of a monoclonal antibody that targets the human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) protein on the surface of tumour cells.

What is a tri-functional antibody?

What I did next … the surgical option

By then I’d grown to dread the stress of the 3-monthly scan.  The apprehension, the scan, the results, the disappointment (or elation).  I knew that I could not continue to live with a tumour that could or could not shrink.

The tumour was consuming my life and my thoughts – I spent most of my time researching new cures and treatments.

Book Review “Speak the Language of Healing”

Book:  “Speak the Language of Healing:  Living with Breast Cancer without Going to War“.

Authors:  Susan Kuner, Carol Matzkin Orsborn, Linda Quigley, Karen Leigh Stroup

Publisher:  Conari Press

****

This is one of the best books I’ve read on how to deal with cancer.

Most books tell us that cancer is a war. We are told we have to fight it … it is a battle.  Cancer becomes a disease filled with aggressive terminology, there are conflicts, it is the enemy to be vanquished, and the people who have cancer are victims.  People who make it through the treatment are survivors and winners.  Those who die from it are defeated and seen as losers and failures.

For some, using military metaphors is helpful.  But for others, this book shows us there is a new way of thinking about and living with a life-threatening illness.

How to get cancer in 5 hours

A routine examination at a medical check-up offered by the company I work for.

A breast examination by the doctor.   The ominous words delivered casually: