Paw Paw - What's your opinion?

PAW PAW CELL-REG

Cancer is a devastating disease for which there is yet no absolute cure. Genetic predisposition and mutations (abnormal changes in the nuclei of cells) caused by chemicals, radiation, hormones, and viruses account for 5-10% and 90-95% of all cancers, respectively. Cancer afflicts almost every part of the human body from the skin to the marrows and is indiscriminate of age. The annual U.S. death toll from cancer is over 555, 000 and costs about $156 billion in direct medical, indirect morbidity and mortality expense and losses.

Different approaches are employed in the treatment of cancer, depending on type, site and stage. In situ cancers are surgically removed and followed up with other treatments if metastasized to the lymph nodes and other organs.

Cancer cells grow and multiply rapidly and anticancer drugs (chemotherapy) normally destroy cancer cells by damaging their genetic material, thus stopping their proliferation. Some drugs work better together than alone, hence two or more drugs are often given at the same time. Unfortunately, most anticancer drugs are not selective, thus healthy cells can also be harmed, especially those that divide quickly. Harm to healthy cells causes the side effects. Healthy cells, however, can replicate and re-establish a normal population and size after chemotherapy.

Radiation therapy, also called radiotherapy, is the treatment of cancer and other diseases with ionizing radiation, especially for localized solid tumours, such as cancers of the skin, tongue, brain, breast, or uterine cervix. Radiotherapy can also be used to treat leukemia and lymphoma (cancers of the blood-forming cells and lymphatic system, respectively). Ionizing radiation destroys cells in the area being treated by damaging their genetic material, making it impossible for these cells to continue to grow. Both cancerous and normal cells are also damaged during treatment.

Newer forms of treatment involve angiogenesis inhibition, stimulating the immune system to fight cancer, bone marrow and peripheral stem cell transplantation, and gene and photodynamic therapy.

Possible side effects of cancer treatment include loss of hair, skin irritation, anemia (due to bone marrow depression), and temporary change in skin colour in the treated area, bleeding (platelet depletion), infections, chemo-induced cancer, and generalized weakness. Other side effects are largely dependent on the area of the body that is treated.

Paw Paw Cell-Reg is a dietary supplement that contains natural compounds that may be a good alternative or logical supplement to chemotherapy. Research information suggests that the bioactive compounds in Paw Paw Cell-Reg will prevent the growth of cancer cells and shrink tumours.

Key Ingredient
Paw Paw extract containing standardized mixtures of annonaceous acetogenins from the paw paw (Asimina triloba) tree.

Scientific Information
The paw paw tree is native to the eastern U.S. The fruits are banana-like and have been consumed by Native Americans for thousands of years. Eli Lilly and Company sold a liquid extract of its seeds at the end of the 1800’s as an emetic. Thus, it has a history of safe human use and consumption.

Annonaceous acetogenins are complex mixtures of long chain fatty acids derivatives from the extracts of the twigs of the paw paw tree. Many of the acetogenins have been isolated and characterized, and their numerous health benefits are being explored. Three, bullatacin, asimicin, and trilobacin, have been identified as the most potent, major, bioactive structural types of acetogenins in the paw paw concentrate. 1-6

Difficulties with most of the chemotherapeutic drugs emanate from their concurrent eradication of normal healthy cells, including those responsible for immunity.

Tumour cells grow and replicate more rapidly than normal cells. This is because they are better equipped to receive glucose, having seven times more insulin receptors 7 and ten times more IGF receptors 8 than normal cells. Also, cancer cells quickly develop a network of blood vessels (angiogenesis) to ensure an efficient supply of nutrients and oxygen. This is partly why cancer patients lose weight; the cancer cells rapidly take up nutrients meant for normal cells.

Furthermore, with chemotherapy cancer cells develop resistance to the drugs, rendering chemotherapy useless and futile after a period of remission. The same principle applies to other diseases that have become drug resistant, such as malaria. The organisms and cancer cells smartly find a way of protecting themselves from the damaging effects of drugs. They generate what is called the ABC transporter superfamily, which transports a variety of substrates including amino acids, sugars, inorganic ions, polysaccharides, peptides, and proteins into the cells. In cancer cells, a member of this superfamily, called the multidrug resistant (MDR) protein, is overexpressed and helps to pump drugs out of the cancer cells, making the cancer cells simultaneously resistant to a variety of drugs. Thus, the cancer cells are protected from the toxic effects of drug combinations.

Annonaceous acetogenins may be good chemotherapeutic agents for cancer. These compounds inhibit mitochondrial and cytoplasmic production of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which is the major source of energy for the cells and also a precursor of the nucleotides needed to produce DNA and RNA. Annonaceous acetogenins inhibit the enzymes of complex I in the electron transport system in mitochondria. 9-14 They also inhibit the NADH oxidases found in the plasma membranes of Tumour cells. 15 Their net effect is depletion of ATP levels.

Tumour cells, being typically metabolically more active, are more susceptible than normal cells to the effects of the acetogenins. Angiogenesis requires ATP 16 and angiostatin blocks angiogenesis by inhibiting ATP synthase. 17 Thus, ATP depletion helps to block the growth of new vessels to nourish tumours. Tyrosine kinases, which play roles in Tumour progression, are also inhibited by ATP depletion. 18

Annonaceous acetogenins also thwart MDR Tumour cells. The protein pumps (p 170 glycoproteins), which extrude the drugs from the Tumour cells are energized by ATP.19-26 Thus, by depleting ATP, the glycoproptein pumps become dysfunctional.

Ongoing studies confirm the benefits of paw paw extracts in clinical cancer treatments. Paw paw extracts can be used to inhibit the growth of cancer cells and as effective alternatives or supplements to chemotherapeutic agents. Research studies also show that paw paw extracts have anti-helminthic (worm controlling) benefits. To date, 130 cancer patients have experienced positive benefits (decrease of Tumour sizes, lowered levels of Tumour antigens, and generalized improvement).

Contraindication
It is not advisable to take Paw paw with nutritional supplements like CoQ10 and thyroid stimulators, as these supplements enhance mitochondrial complex 1 activities and energy production, respectively. Likewise, antioxidants block programmed cell deaths (apoptosis) and can reverse the damaging effects of paw paw on the cancer cells.

Safety/Toxicity
The acetogenins are not mutagenic. Unlike most anti-tumour drugs, acetogenins do not exert their effects by poisoning DNA; they selectively inhibit ATP production. These results have been confirmed in a recent publication in which two paw paw acetogenins were found to be antimicrobial but not mutagenic. 27 In other unpublished results (Asta Laboratories), bullatacin was emetic in pigs. This result demonstrated that the acetogenins very likely explain the former use of Eli Lilly’s liquid extract of paw paw seeds as an emetic preparation. An unpublished report shows that vomiting (emesis) prevented toxicity of paw paw capsules in dogs. Emesis is a definite safety factor should someone ingest excessive amounts of this supplement either intentionally or unintentionally. Any potential systemic toxic effects are conveniently thwarted by emesis.

A recent study on the island of Guadeloupe suggested that a higher than usual incidence of atypical Parkinsonism there might be caused by the chronic consumption of herbal teas and fruits from the Annonaceae family (Annona muricata and A. squamosa); some of the benzyltetrahydroisoquinoline alkaloids found therein are believed to be neurotoxic and, thus, may be responsible for the Parkinsonism. 28 Such alkaloids were carefully excluded from the annonaceous extracts during processing of paw paw.

There is a page and a half of references for this article, if you would like them please e:mail me.

Christmas can be Depressing!

Depression: Coping at Christmas

It may be the season of goodwill, but for many there is a darker side to the coming celebrations. Suicide levels rise to their highest in January, and the Samaritans expect to receive 10 per cent more calls over the festive season.
There are many reasons why the festive period can be very difficult for people, 'There is a great deal of pressure to be enjoying themselves, the television and magazines are full of people having a great time and jolly figures of Father Christmas appear almost everywhere. The perception can be that everybody else is happy but you, and then the anticlimax of New Year can hit people particularly hard.
Whether you're one of the many who dread this time of year, or you're worried about someone else here are some tips you may find useful.
1. Don't beat yourself up or give yourself a hard time As stated above there is a great expectation to be happy at Christmas and New Year. When reality doesn't work out that way, it can be even more depressing. Don't blame yourself if you're not feeling great - you are not alone.
2. Spot the signs of trouble If the future seems bleak, and you have lost interest in everything, you need to take stock of your situation. Watch out for the following signs of emotional distress:
difficulties getting to sleep.
problems eating.
excessive drinking.
being anxious.
being angry.
Holding yourself together at work but not joining in with anything at home.
3. Your emotions are your body's signal that something is wrong. If you feel moody, take it seriously and take action.
Look after yourself If your body is healthy, your mind is more able to cope.
Eat sensibly and get plenty of sleep.
Don't rely on alcohol or drugs to get you through.
Exercise to raise your mood (you don’t have to run a marathon just a walk in the fresh air can do wonders.)
Take time out for yourself – give yourself some ‘me’ time.
Give yourself the occasional treat - you deserve it.
4. It's good to talk Find someone you trust, who'll keep what you say confidential, then tell them about your problems. Unexpressed emotions stop you coping with everyday life. Once you talk about them, you'll find you've got more energy, you think more clearly and you're more able to sort things out.
5. Ask for help Admitting to yourself that you need help is a significant step forward. When you get to this point don't be afraid of asking. Remember, if you can’t wait to sort out a therapist and want to talk about anything that's bothering you, you can get in touch with the Samaritans at any time of day or night. They won’t tell you what to do, and definitely won't tell anyone you called, but they will listen for as long as you need.

If you’ve never heard of the Samaritans they are an organisation that provide confidential emotional support to people in crisis, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
You can contact them by calling 08457 90 90 90 (textphone 08457 90 91 92) you’ll find your local branch listed in the phonebook.
If you’re reading this because you’re worried about someone else,
Ask the person how they are feeling and listen to the answer.
No matter how much you want to help, it's difficult to support someone who is suicidal on your own.
Encourage the person to seek help and talk to someone they trust, such as a family member, local therapist or a helpline e.g Samaritans.
Contact Samaritans yourself, who may be able to contact the person you're worried about.
Finally, if you're helping someone who feels suicidal, make sure you remember to take care of yourself, too.

Whoops, I'm on a role

I won't mention SSRIs again for a least a week but I just had to share this with you all.
A new study suggests that "pregnant women who are taking an SSRI antidepressant such as Prozac have double the risk of their precious baby being born with a congenital abnormality. The most dangerous time is during the second and third months of pregnancy. However, the researchers also found that the risk is vitually non-existant among women who are prescribed an SSRI later on in the pregnancy. This is a further blow to a class of drugs that is suspected of causing suicidal tendencies in patients and, paradoxically, making their depression worse. (sourse: Epidemiology, 2006; Oct).

Reiki - and depression.

Just returned from an early morning therapy session - it never ceases to amaze me just how powerful reiki can be. To see someones long term depression lifting after three/four sessions is truly humbling.
Talking about depression, I seem to be getting more and more clients who have been prescribed anti-depression drugs in the form of SSRI's. Are doctors getting too quick to dole out these dangerous drugs as though they were doling out sweets?
Read the accompanying leaflet! SSRI'S can cause anxiety, panic attacks and if youi're really unlucky suicidal thoughts. And, by the way, these type of drugs deplete your body of B vitamins. Guess which vitamins you need to stop the brain chemicals unbalancing and causing depression - you guessed vitamin Bs. So when you come to the end of the prescribed time you will find it hard to give up, you will feel 'blue' so the doctor will say "we'll just keep you on SSRI'S a while longer." Result; the drug companies have another long term SSRI junkie and their profits go up.
Just so you know. I have total respect for my doctors and believe they always do their best for me and their other patients - I just think the whole medical proffession is being lied to and misled by profit motivated drugs companies. For example, why have the British and American governments stock-piled millions of pounds worth of anti bird-flu jabs? Because the drug companies said they had to and that they would be failing the electorate if they weren't ready for the epidemic.
1. Where is the epidemic? and did you know that the drug companies have now admitted that the stock-piled jabs are 'probably useless' anyway because, the virus still hasn't crossed over to humans and when it does only then will they know how to build the anti-dote. Scandalous really isn't it? 2. These drugs will have a shelf life and then the governing medical bodies will be convincing us that they have to re-stock: yet more profit for the drugs barons.
Why are old people given a flu-jab at the start of winter? If flu comes it will be a different strain to the one innoculated for because it always mutates. A waste of time but good for generating profit.
Did you know that in Germany the most prescribed item to cope with mild depression is not a drug but the very powerful herb St John's Wort.
PS Nature's Sunshine have the most potent blend of this herb.

Is Work-Place Stress killing You?

Longer hours and more work spread amongst fewer workers because of business down-sizing is bound to take its toll as stress-induced health problems. Here's how to tell if stress at work may be harming your health:

• Do you often feel like he does?
• Do you always find it hard to get out of bed?


• Are you always tired?


• Are you having short-term memory problems and keep forgetting things?


• Do you have aches and pains there doesn't seem to be a reason for?


• Have you lost your appetite or conversely you can't stop snacking?


• Have you lost your sex drive?


• Are you always irritable and angry?

If you answered yes to three or more of the above, you really do need to do something about your work-place stress.

Your own home based business

Do you know anyone who is looking for a second income, maybe a therapist who is looking for the ideal complement to their therapy business? If so, please email me. Not only will they be joining the Nature’s Sunshine family but they will also be involved with the finest herbal products it is possible to buy. Unlike some other companies there are no minimum orders, no stock to hold, the only targets are the ones you impose upon yourself, it is completely free to join and there is loads of support and free training available.

Job Satisfaction

How fantastic is this job? I've had more job satisfaction in one session of hypnotherapy than I had in the last ten years as a civil servant. A chronic smoker tapped his craving away with 15 minutes of EFT and hasn't wanted a cigarette since: brilliant

Keep smiling

So what are your thoughts on clients that don't turn up? Do you send them a bill?
Why don't people just phone and say "this isn't for me, I'm not coming back?" instead they leave me sitting in the clinic like a lemon - how do other therapists get round this problem?