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Expert Advice-Treatment of Cancer in Traditional Chinese Medicine(TCM):![]()
We all know that many types of cancers are diet-related. It
is estimated that 60% of cancers in women are diet-related. Evidence shows that
some foods increase the likelihood of developing cancer, while others reduce the
likelihood of developing cancer. In Chinese medicine, diet is considered to be a
major factor in cancer prevention. Many foods have been tested scientifically
and found to contain anti-cancer agents. Some of the most exciting research has
been done on soy beans and soy food products. Soy beans are considered to be one of the five sacred foods
in China. For a typical Chinese family, every meal includes soy foods: soy milk
for breakfast; tofu salad at lunch; tofu and vegetable stir-fry for dinner. Even
at a formal banquet, you would see many soy-based dishes, often marinated with
garlic, sesame, soy sauce, or ginger. Soy products can be easily made into
noodles, breads, and snack foods, and are wonderful substitutes for meat,
chicken, eggs, and cow’s milk. Although Asian people have long claimed that soy foods
promote increased health and longevity, it is only recently that Western
researchers got around to performing scientifically controlled, double-blind
studies on soy beans and their chemical constituents. When Asian scientists
pointed out that cases of breast cancer and prostate cancer are significantly
lower in Asian countries than in Western countries, and attributed this fact to
diet; and when it was further pointed out that American women who consume soy
foods have a fifty-percent lower incidence of cancer than women who don’t eat
soy, many Western scientists decided it was time to investigate these phenomena. So far, it has been discovered that soy beans contain at
least five known anti-cancer agents, including protease inhibitors,
phytoestrogens, saponins, and genistein. People have aware for decades that soy
beans contain protease inhibitors, but it was thought that protease inhibitors
interfered with proper digestion, so they were actually removed from all soy
products produced in the United States. Only now are protease inhibitors
recognized as valuable cancer fighters that inhibit tumor growth by inhibiting
the action of certain enzymes that promote tumor growth. Most people, including most health professionals, had never
heard about genistein until 1993, when Dr. Herman Adlercreutz’s research on
prostate cancer was cited in the Wall Street Journal. Genistein, a type
of phytoestrogen, blocks the signal that triggers normal cells to become cancer
cells, and is extremely effective in stopping the growth and spread of prostate
cancer. Scientists have speculated that genistein may even be used as a cancer
treatment. Although more than three hundred plants contain phytoestrogens, only
soy beans produce genistein. Phytoestrogens, which are heavily concentrated in soy, seem
to create a favorable hormonal environment which prevents certain cancers from
developing, especially breast cancer. The phytoestrogens in soy have a similar
chemical structure to the estrogen produced by the body, but phytoestrogens are
considered to be "weaker" than the body’s natural estrogen.
"Strong" estrogens which bind to the body’s estrogen receptors are
recognized as being a triggering mechanism in the development of breast cancer.
Unfortunately, the women in "advanced" countries have not only their
naturally-produced estrogen to deal with, but also the strong estrogens that
come from the environment – from water, from meat, or leached into our foods
and beverages from plastic containers. When soy is consumed, the natural weaker
estrogen in the soy binds with the body’s estrogen receptors, thus leaving
fewer estrogen receptors available for the risky, stronger estrogen which is
then discharged harmlessly from the body. The faster strong estrogens are
metabolized and discharged, the less damage they can cause. Until recently, soy beans have been under-appreciated in this
country, and are often associated with animal fodder or extreme poverty. When I
first came to America, I would extol soy foods to my patients, only to be met
with skepticism. "Soy beans? That’s cow food," said one. A
journalist told me he had eaten a lot of soy foods when he was a poor student.
It is a big challenge for Americans to switch from meat and potatoes to tofu and
soy milk, but health-conscious people are beginning to change. Increasingly,
people come to my clinic for consultations on cooking and eating soy foods. I
have heard of women who rushed out to the grocery store to buy soy when they
heard about its potential to prevent breast cancer. I am so glad that people
here in the United States have finally begun to recognize the benefits of these
"Cinderella beans." Now that a variety of soy products are available in many city
markets, it is well to recognize that some of them contain more phytoestrogens
than others. In order to enjoy the maximum benefit from soy foods, I recommend
that you purchase organically-grown soy beans whenever possible, and learn to
make your own soymilk at home. Included in this section is a recipe for soymilk,
as well as a delicious vegetable stir-fry recipe.
Cabbage Shiitake Mushroom. This brown and beefy-tasting mushroom has been used in Asian gourmet cooking for centuries as a substitute for meat. Its taste and texture are very different from that of regular mushrooms. It has gained fame as an immune system booster, widely recommended to cancer and AIDS patients. The biochemical in the shiitake mushroom that has been proven to augment immune system activity is called lenitan. Today it is possible to find shiitake mushrooms in many supermarkets and Asian groceries in the dried form. Fresh ones are also available in some co-ops. Shiitakes are delicious and can be prepared in a variety of ways: cooked or steamed with rice or noodles; or added to stir-fry and soups.Garlic. As a food and a spice, garlic is used widely in both the East and the West. Scientific studies show that garlic can "deactivate" carcinogens, prevent the growth of cancerous tumors, and stimulate the formation of glutathione which detoxifies foreign materials. Garlic contains allicin which has antibiotic and anti-fungal properties. People call it a natural chemotherapy drug because of the way it destroys cancerous cells. It is especially preventive of colon and stomach cancers. One of garlic’s components, ajoene, is very toxic to malignant cells. The maximum benefit is achieved by eating raw garlic.Kelp is a seaweed which tops the list of therapeutic Chinese foods for its anti-cancer properties. It is rich in many minerals and other special nutrients such as iodine. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that kelp can soften and reduce hard masses. It is also popularly used for weight control in China. It is so popular in Asian cuisine that it is considered a necessity in the Chinese and Japanese diet. Kelp soap, kelp shampoo, and kelp hair conditioners are extensively used in modern China.Carrots. Most people already know that carrots contain high levels of beta carotene, and that beta carotene has an anti-cancer effect. Carrots are widely consumed around the world, but in many countries, especially in the West, people eat them raw. Experiments show that eating lightly-cooked carrots is much more beneficial than eating raw carrots, which confirms the ancient wisdom in traditional Chinese medicine. Traditional Chinese medicine practitioners have always recommended that their patients eat lightly-cooked carrots in order to get the best nutritional absorption. Recent research by Dr. Xiangdong Wang at Tufts University shows that beta carotene can change in the human body into a substance called retinoic acid, which is widely used to treat cancers.Cauliflower. In ancient times, Chinese medicine texts set out the theory that foods which look like tumors have an anti-tumor effect. In the West, the theory that "like treats like" is called the "Doctrine of Signatures." Cauliflower, which looks exactly like a cancer tumor, has long been a folk remedy against cancer. Recently, its effects on cancer have been proven scientifically: it contains many cancer-fighting, hormone-regulating compounds, and is especially good for the prevention of breast and colon cancers. |
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