Alternative Treatments for Prostate Cancer

Prostate Cancer and Testosterone

2012-12-21T09:29:02Z

Suzzanne Somers interviews Dr Morgantaler about his research concerning prostate cancer and testosterone. He suggests the intake of testosterone supplementation is actually beneficial to prostate cancer patients, particularly in the early stages of the disease. This flies in the face of modern theory which says the opposite is true. But the current theory is based on 40 year old study done by one doctor with just a few patients examined. It has never been scientifically tested or proved.

Dr Morgantaler’s own contention is further supported by other studies referred to in an excellent book, titled: Outsmart Your Cancer, written by Tanya Harter Pierce, M.A., MFCC. I recently purchased the 2nd edition; my first having been loaned out but not returned, and I can recommend it as being one of the best book reviews I have seen. It diligently examines a variety of nontoxic treatments for cancer and provides ample scientific references. The book is thoroughly researched and brilliantly written. (Click the book image in the left side bar to review it at Amazon)

Hormone Therapy for Prostate Cancer – Scandal

2012-12-21T10:10:34Z

My comments below are based on a very revealing recent article written by Peter Waldman, Bloomberg News, and published in …

http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20121108/BUSINESS13/311080063/Prostate-patients-suffer-money-overwhelms-optimal-therapy?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|Business|s

concerning the nefarious activities of USA medical specialists, particularly urologists, more intent on ripping off the medical rebate system than giving prostate cancer patients correct, effective treatment. In part, the article discuses hormone therapy for prostate cancer and it is to this a refer…

* During the 1900’s urologist’s all but stopped using surgical castration surgery in favor of drugs for the hormone therapy for prostate cancer, especially the drugs, Lupron and Zoladex.

* With secret kickbacks from the drug companies amounting to US$5000 for each patient put on the drugs urologists had a very good incentive to change clinical modalities.

* One study showed that two in five patients placed on HORMONE THERAPY for PROSTATE CANCER had no clinical need of it.

* In 2005, when Medicare reduced payments for Lupron and Zoladex by half, so then the use of the drugs by urologists dropped by 44%. A coincidence? I think not.

* Two drug companies supplying Lupron and Zoladex pleaded guilty to government charges and paid a $1 Billion dollars settlement.

* Hundreds of thousands of prostate cancer patients have been chemically castrated using these drugs for no reason other than to satisfy the greed of urologists.

* When the curtain fell on these lucrative HORMONE THERAPY for PROSTATE CANCER scams, urologists conveniently made another change in their treatment protocols by ordering unnecessary exploratory treatments, including a urine culture and abdominal ultrasounds.

* Additionally, where individual urologists had a financial, ownership interest in treatment centres offering CT scan and X-ray equipment, called intensity-modulated radiation therapy, IMRT, these were used in excess, to maximize income streams.

The notes above appear to encapsulate a general theme within the urology profession. You will have heard the saying “Make hay while the sun shines” and that is exactly what has been going on here…. and probably still goes on. And don’t think for one minute these activities are confined to urologists in the USA.

What all this tells me is that it is every man for him-self. We owe it to ourselves, and to our loved ones, not to be bludgeoned into blindly accepting whatever doctors throw our way. We need to ask questions and demand answers. And failure to get satisfactory answers is a trigger for walking out and going elsewhere.

Mind you, unless you do your own study of your particular health issue, not only will you not be able to ask intelligent, probing, questions but you probably won’t be able to assess and qualify the answers either.

In an earlier post I have already stated, quite clearly, that I am dead set against hormone treatment for prostate cancer, and have no intention of complying with my own urologist’s recommendation. This article reinforces my argument against it.

Knowledge is Power. Power to protect yourself against the clinical bias and avarice of unscrupulous doctors.

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Androgen Deprivation Therapy

2012-12-21T10:32:01Z

Opinion

Androgen Deprivation Therapy, ADT.

The theory behind androgen deprivation therapy for prostate cancer treatment is that by reducing or stopping the production of hormones of varying description; androgen and testosterone for example, the growth of any cancer present can be discouraged, even retarded. Another aim may be to reduce the size of an enlarged prostate gland to facilitate surgery or simply to release pressure, or obstruction, involving the urethra.

Although cancer can be slowed by this method and the procedure may even extend a patients life, it cannot stop the cells growing nor can it prevent ultimate death. The negative side effects of androgen deprivation therapy are considerable, as we will discuss later.

What Your Doctor Will Tell You:

Androgen Deprivation Therapy is commonly used for several phases of prostate cancer. The early phase, particularly where the patient already has health issues preventing the use of surgery or chemotherapy and in the late stage where cancer has spread away from the prostate gland to other parts of the body. ANDROGEN DEPRIVATION THERAPY can also be used when a cancer has returned after surgery to remove the cancer (Metastasis)

Treatments period may be for a short term or over a long period of time and with different drugs being tried.

Two of the most common ‘artificial’ hormone blocking drugs for prostate cancer are named Lupron and Casodex. These chemical drugs will block testosterone receptors so a man’s body cannot use the testosterone his body normally produces, and/or, they will block the actual production of testosterone. A side effect of this is the prostate specific antigen (PSA) blood count will go down. Doctors’ will often imply, quite wrongly, that this reduced count is a sign that the cancer is under control. But it simply means that without testosterone the body is unable to produce adequate PSA.

What Your Doctor Will Not Tell You:

Your doctor will not tell you that contrary to current theory, some studies have shown that the prostate specific antigen (PSA) actually has anti-angiogenic properties which help fight cancer, not support its growth. The new contention is that an elevated PSA reading shows that extra PSA is being produced in order to battle the cancer. This is a major change in the understanding of the purpose and action of PSA. But it is very hard to change the ingrained learning and attitude of the medical fraternity. Most doctors chose to ignore this new information.

Male hormone therapy, comprising of synthetic chemicals, have a totally different chemical structure to the particular hormone produced in the human body that it replaces. The side effects are numerous and include: low libido and impotence, hot flushes, fatigue, liver damage, weight increase, constipation, dizziness or headache, breast soreness and growth, loss of muscle mass, brittle bones (osteoporosis), mood swings and depression, and nausea. Also, the growth of facial and body hair may change.

Research also associates androgen deprivation therapy with higher risk of metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease, reduced HDL cholesterol and diabetes.

Prostate cancer can also become ‘resistant’ to hormone therapy in which case, two options then remain. One option is for surgical castration (orchiectomy,) and the other, chemical castration, which entails treatment with drugs such as Luteinizing Hormone-Releasing-Hormone antagonists.

Because a man’s testicles produce nearly all of his production of testosterone, their removal will reduce the production of it drastically.

Some side effects of Luteinizing antagonists include: drowsiness, confusion, dry mouth, flu-like symptoms, and difficulty seeing some colour as well as adjusting to changing light levels. Less common side effects include: fever, tightness of chest, hoarseness, very dark stool, chills, depression, dark urine, and numbness or tingling in the extremities.

Several conditions require immediate medical attention: shortness of breath, yellowing of the eyes and skin, chest pain, and upper stomach pain.

Of course, one is not likely to get all of these side effects but the risks are there, to varying degrees. But what all this tells us is that the side effects from hormone treatment are very considerable indeed, ranging from those of nuisance value to those that are life threatening. Yet another case perhaps where the treatment is worse than the disease and the doctor can say later “The treatment worked but the patient died”.

Cancer will often re-develop in a different form and with unique clinical indicators following treatment with androgen deprivation therapy making the doctor’s task of slowing or killing the cancer cells even more difficult. This new form of cancer is known as castration resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) and is often terminal for the patient. Ultimately, the next treatment of choice for the doctor is chemotherapy but the chances of survival remain slim. In my own view, chemotherapy, which is basically useless, particularly at this late stage, will more likely increase the risk of an early demise.

Hormone Replacement Therapy – Theory Update:

I have already referred to research showing that a man’s PSA actually helps to combat cancer with its anti-angiogenic activity and will not, as previously theorized, aid and assist it to grow or proliferate. This then, means that the PSA test is next best to useless for assessing prostate cancer progression or regression, especially when hormone treatments have been given previously.

Hormone therapy is given with the intention of blocking the production of testosterone in the belief that testosterone feeds cancer growth. Again, it appears now that it does not. It seems that the blocking of testosterone production creates an obvious imbalance of hormones, especially with estrogen then permitted a more dominant role. It is this imbalance which allows estrogen to fuel cancer in the prostate.

Additionally, I note that low testosterone levels in men have been attributed to death from cardiovascular disease and many other illnesses, including depression, coronary heart disease, bone fractures, osteoporosis and dementia.

My Conclusion:

Given all of the above; the confusion within the medical profession as to the true pathological activity of both PSA and testosterone in relation to cancer; the very poor prognosis and related side effects of hormone therapy; together with the very high health risks associated with it, there is no way in this world I would ever consider hormone therapy, including Androgen Deprivation Therapy as a treatment for my aggressive prostate cancer.

I like to think that I remain somewhat open minded to all forms of prostate cancer treatment, and I study both allopathic and natural medicine, but the more I study the former, the more I am convinced that conventional medicine science does not have a true understanding, or knowledge, of the cause or causes of prostate cancer. Is it not therefore axiomatic that modern medicine science can’t possibly develop reliable and safe treatments without that knowledge and understanding? For the most part, modern medicine relies upon theories, trial and error and experimentation.

So-called modern treatments are far from ‘modern’ and haven’t changed much in the past three or four decades. And whilst the medical fraternity refuse to modernize their thought processes and clinical strategy the only safe recourse for prostate cancer patients is to try natural therapies. Many of which have been scientifically tested and proven.

I like to think that I am a classic example of that? Not only did I avoid a metastasis from my kidney cancer in 1995, and from two skin melanoma, without medical intervention but I am now into my eighth year with a Gleason grade 9 prostate cancer, relying solely on natural therapies to shore up my immune system and to thwart the cancer.

The fact is, I hardly know I have cancer. As I have said before, I have more problems with my enlarged prostate gland, (benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH)).

Now what does that tell you? Well it says I am well in control of my cancer but I am damned if I can over-come the enlarged prostate gland problem. Moreover, I recently discovered that one of my most reliant cancer protocols was actually in conflict with my gland, exacerbating the issue. I discovered that by accident. Not to worry though I have replaced the protocol with something entirely new and perhaps, even more scientifically sound. More about that in an upcoming blog.

The under-mentioned book has a comprehensive discussion on hormone treatments for men and women, including ANDROGEN DEPRIVATION THERAPY …