We Need To Put The Squeeze on Cancer

Currently, one in 4 deaths in the United States is due to cancer. A total of 1,596,670 new cancer cases and 571,950 deaths from cancer are projected to occur in the United States in 2011!  While there seems to be some progress being made in diagnosis and genetic predictions, mortality rates remain remarkably resistant to our progress so far.  Scientists are really working hard to see how cancer cells seem to outwit us so easily, and they have just found a guy named JAK that is causing problems.

SEXY SQUISH

Zlata, 24 years old, is considered among the most extreme contortionists in the world, and may provide us with a visual demonstration on how cancer moves in our bodies.  Recently, scientists have discovered how cancer cells are able to squeeze between small spaces to spread throughout the body, thus avoiding our natural defense systems.

IT’S A TUMOR!

It turns out that a protein called JAK, is the key, and this gives cancer cells the ability to contract like a muscle and squeeze out of the tumor and move to other parts of the body.  When switched on, JAK makes cancer cells like Zleta, and they can morph like minature super bad heros and get through cracks and crevices (unlike this NY Rat below!)  We need to turn JAK off!

RAT ON (IN) CRACK IN NYC

With some types of cancers, like melanoma or other skin cancers, the cells move in two ways: by “elbowing” their way through the matrix, or by going through tunnels in the tumor formed by healthy cells.  This is why you have to continually look for early changes in your body, so cancers can be detected early, way before JAK wakes up.

CANCER BUSTING

Scientists are looking at ways to block cancer from being able to read the secret code to metastisize, and are able to turn off gene expression just by stretching the DNA!  By pulling the code longer, it no longer is readable to the cancer.  That is very exciting news indeed.  The problem is that there are other systems that need to read the code to get their job done.  How to selectively block cancer without killing the body is the hard part.  It looks like advanced vitamin and mineral supplementation also may make this process easier as well – check out www.ivitaminscience.com if you want to read more about that.

While some are blocking the code alphabet, other scientists have found a gene called WWP2  that when turned off keeps cancer cells dormant.  Problem is, what happens to the rest of the system when we poison WWP2 – do we get WW2?  Is it just me, or do these pink cancer cells look like the a Victoria Secret bra that Zleta seems to have lost while getting in the glass jar?

Time to continue fighting the BIG C (please do your part and stop smoking), I can’t fix these lips with Juvederm!

Dr. Darrin Frye

FINGER MATTERS

Big fingers = big penis?  Scientists say finger length may help a girl know a guy’s penis length when he is not erect, but not when he is excited.  Most of the time, erect size is much larger- but not always, so don’t “judge a finger by it’s cover.” The longest finger should be 7/8th of the length of the palm of the hand.  Any shorter – you might be sporting a small penis, but also have an increased risk of cancer in the prostate, poor sports skills, small bank account, and increased odds of homosexuality!  Wow, that is a lot a pressure for an simple finger!

Why do men with the longest fingers seem to want to become protologists and urologists, and women with the smallest fingers become gynecologists?  Seems like it should be reversed somehow?  I hate seeing XL gloves in the office as I wait for the doctor to come in the room.

Relative finger length can be useful and can be used as a simple test for prostate cancer risk, particularly in men aged under 60.  Scientists found that if the index finger is longer than the ring finger, men were one-third less likely to develop prostate cancer. It may be related to levels of the male hormone testosterone exposure in the womb.  Personally, I would stick to routine rectal exams and Prostate Specific Antigen -PSA (www.beacheslabs.com) testing over checking hand sizes, and you should too.  Did you know you could order bloodwork without having to see the doctor?   Well, you can.  I just started a company to do just that.  Check it out – it is coming soon.

It isn’t all about the prostate!  Stock Traders with long ring fingers made up to 11 times the earnings of their counterparts. Big hands = big billfold girls!  We all know how NBA and NFL players make out – they have the largest hands on the planet.  Go HEAT!

Short fingered Brad Womack  (Brad Womack = A#@ hole)

To put something on the long finger is an Irish, expression meaning ‘to postpone indefinitely’, and comes from the custom of wearing a ring on the index finger of your left hand if you are not enagaged or married, on the second (long) finger if you are engaged, on the third (ring)finger if married, and on the little finger if entirely disinclined.  Maybe this is why  Bachelor Brad had such a hard time “popping” the question!  Maybe one of the new bachelorettes will put a pump in the Womack hole this season.  I think we should send him to a long fingered proctologist if he can’t find a girl to get engaged with after this new season.

Time to go finger it all out!

Dr. Frye

Claudia Schiffer

The bodacious German supermodel eats salad and steamed vegetables for dinner and eats only fruits before the afternoon. While on locations, she prefers to eat black grapes and drinks tomato juice and herbal tea.  Maybe the tomatoes are partially responsible for her amazing looks?

Lycopene, which is what makes tomatoes red, is nature’s most powerful antioxidant; studies have shown that increased lycopene consumption can lead to decreased risks of heart disease as well as certain types of cancers, including breast, prostate, and colorectal and may also lower the amount of LDL or “bad” cholesterol.  No word on whether it makes your hair blond, curly, and sexy.

Tomato juice can, however,  significantly increase the presence of cell-protecting antioxidants that help to fight against skin aging  and osteoporosis, according to new research.  Researchers claim that 30mg of lycopene found in tomatoes – the equivalent to two glasses of tomato juice – is enough to help prevent the brittle-bone disease.  Novel skin creams  that have lycopene in them are also on the market designed to keep you looking Claudia young!

More than 45,000 people from all over the world descend each year on the small Valencian town of Bunol, Spain to participate in the La Tomatina festival, where over 100 tons of rotten and over-ripe tomatoes make quite a lycopene mess.  No word on whether the veggie feast makes people younger, but maybe it makes people immature?

Tomatoes may be toxic to most dogs..

Most dogs can eat a hamburger in one bite easily.  But instead of wolfing down a standard quarter pounder, many carefully lift off the tomatoes slices, and then devour it.  They seem to sense that they shouldn’t eat the tomatoes.  Toxic?  Well, I know of some dogs that do eat tomatoes and they seem to like them and do ok.  I suggest you be careful with your hairy friends and let them get their lycopene another way.

Time to “catchup” on things,

Dr. Frye

Tommy Lee gave Pamela Anderson three things, but only two were wanted:  Brandon and Dylon, their two sons.  Unfortunately, the third was Hepatitis C, allegedly.

Former Baywatch star, and former Playboy Playmate, Pamela Anderson is one of the most recognized celebrities that has been diagnosed with  hepatitis C, which can be a  deadly liver disease.  Hepatitis C  is a real epidemic, far worse than any swine flu, as 270-300 million people worldwide are infected!  She says she was infected by sharing a tattoo needle with her ex-husband, rock musician Tommy Lee.    People with tattoos are 9 times more likely to be infected with hepatitis C, according to a Texas physician.  My advice is to avoid sharing anything with anyone in a rock band, especially if they have over 12 tattoos on their body!  Hepatitis C is spread by infected blood and infected needles, which is the virus’ connection with tattooing. Tattoos involve lots of needles making lots of sticks in the skin. Each stick carries potential for contamination — and not just with hepatitis, but also HIV, the virus that causes AIDS — if the needles and the “tattoo machine” are not sterilized properly.

Katie Perry got a strawberry tattoo on her ankle - thank God this one on her chest isn’t real!

Back to the heavy stuff.  What happens when you get hepatitis C?  Your liver is placed under a lot of excess stress and the cells suffer injury.  As their tasks mount, and their ability to function wains, it is possible for a massive amount of bilirubin to build up in the bloodstream.  When this begins to happen, you first might notice icteris, or “yellow eyes”.  It gets worse with time, and can be very serious if the disease is left unchecked.

Icteris – a yellowing of the sclera of the eyes

About 75% of people infected with hepatitis C will develop a long-term infection that attacks the liver, leading to cirrhosis, liver failure, and liver cancer at an early age. So, there has always been a big need for treatment that works.  Some advances have occurred with pharmaceuticals, but there are many associated risks and problems with the available treatments, mainly side effects and prohibitive costs.

It is exciting when new research comes out demonstrating natural cures and remedies – especially for Hepatitis C  (we don’t have a shot to prevent Hep C)

Witch Hazel Botanical Sweeps in to the Rescue!

Amazing Discovery – Witch Hazel combats Hepatitis C virus! 

The antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral properties of witch hazel are probably a function of the leaf’s essential oil content,  combined with the tannic acid.  Like echinacea, but to a lesser degree, witch hazel inhibits the enzyme hyaluronidase, and thereby increases the body’s ability to resist the invasion of infectious organisms and the spreading of malignant cancers too.  New research suggests that blueberries also contain a similar substance the demonstrates antiviral effects similar to witch hazel. 

Pamela, there is reason to be hopeful, but you need to do 3 preventive measures asap.  1. Run as far as you can from Tommy  2.  Eat a ton of blueberries  3.  Fill up your body with witch hazel instead of silicone

Botanicals are better than bucket of medications, and it is exciting to see the research sustantiating the claims and notions that foods are indeed the best medicine. 

It’s Always Healing Time Somewhere,

Dr. Frye

http://trollydolly.us/?p=5626

Smoking – Glamorous?  Don’t think so. 

Doctors have long since known that smoking was bad, leading to heart disease, and cancer.  But what is shocking is that women appear to be more vulnerable than men to the cancer-causing effects of smoking tobacco.  Low tar, low nicotine, or filtered products makes no difference either.   Swiss scientists found women tended to be younger when they developed the cancer, despite having smoked on average significantly less than men.  Of course, we know that pregnant women deliver smaller, more sickly babies when they smoke during gestation, but it goes much farther than that.

Models who smoke to keep thin, won’t have to worry that much as they won’t be modeling long.

“Our findings suggest that women may have an increased susceptibility to tobacco carcinogens,” reported Dr Martin Frueh.  If you have ever said, “I don’t buy cigarettes, I just bum them once in a while”  – take a second and look in the mirror, because that beautiful skin you have is going to look like a Boston Red Sox Catchers mitt before you know it unless you stop smoking.  Also, why buy organic foods or hormone free milk when smoking is 1000 times worse than any pesticide or pollutant?

It used to be cool and fun for girls to smoke together, but nobody is laughing now.

“In the early 1900s lung cancer was reported to be rare in women, but in the last 40 years it has progressively reached epidemic proportions, becoming the leading cause of cancer deaths among women in the United States,” Dr Felip said.  “Lung cancer is not only a man’s disease, but women tend to be much more aware of other cancers, such as breast cancer,” she said. “Several case-control studies seem to suggest that women are more vulnerable to tobacco carcinogens than men.”

Smoking ain’t exactly a beauty secret.  Don’t kid yourself, she still thinks smoking isn’t all that bad.  The real epidemic in the world isn’t the swine flu, it is cigarette smoking. 

3 people died from smoking in the time it took you read this blog.

Time to be just smoking hot girls, and not smoking, please.

Dr. Frye

http://trollydolly.us/?p=5596

At  my clinic – Palm Beach Preventive Medicine  www.pbpmed.com, we have a large and steadily growing female population who are tired of just looking great, they want to feel great too.  They don’t want to just have sex with their significant other, they want to WANT to have sex with their significant other(s).  Many just want to stop feeling tired, moody, and wish they could regain their hair, nail, and skin health.  All want to restore and sharpen their love, and joy for life.  We treat these symptoms with hormone replacement therapy(HRT) with awesome results.  With bioidentical hormone replacement, there remain some element of risk of cancer - but it is much lessthan the risks known when using the old hormones like estrone, progestin (or Premarin) .  Studies have found that postmenopausal women who have taken a combined estrogen and progestin (not bioidentical)  hormone replacement therapy (HRT) have increased their risk of developing progestin-accelerated breast cancer tumors. Exciting news!  Researchers have found that curcumin, a popular Indian spice derived from the turmeric root, could reduce breast cancer risk for women after exposure to HRT.  This is a big deal for patients and for their treating doctors, especially if patients  have others in their family with diagnosed breast or ovarian cancer.

Approximately 6 million women in the United States use HRTto treat the symptoms of menopause.  The exposure to progestin (not bioidentical) will predispose a large number of post-menopausal women to future development of breast cancer. The results of this study showed that women could potentially take curcumin to protect themselves from developing progestin-accelerated breast cancer tumors.  We also are looking at DIM or I3C to reduce risk by directing estrogen metabolites to healthy channels – saved for another day’s blog.

This  holy spice is very nice- Turmeric!  Curcumin comes from it.

Researchers found that curcumin delayed the first appearance, decreased incidence and reduced multiplicityof progestin-accelerated breast cancer tumors in an animal model. Curcumin also prevented the appearance of gross morphological abnormalities in the mammary glands.

In previous studies, researchers showed that progestin accelerated the development of certain tumors by increasing production of a molecule called VEGFthat helps supply blood to the tumor. By blocking the production of VEGF, researchers could potentially reduce the proliferation of breast cancer cells. Curcumin inhibits progestin-induced VEGF secretion from breast cancer cells.

If you can cut the blood supply, cancers can’t live and are effectively squeezed out

Curcumin and other potential anti-angiogenic compounds should be tested further as dietary chemopreventive agentsin women already exposed to hormone replacement therapy containing estrogen and progestin in an effort to decrease or delay the risk of breast cancer associated with combined hormone replacement therapy.  Actually, we just need to use bioidentical hormones, and forget using progestins altogether.

Placing turmeric on the groom’s face the day before an Islamic wedding is supposed to help the skin look good on the big day.

Turmeric has been used for centuries in folk medicineto treat wounds, infections, and other health problems besides just for colorizing skin. (this is one Michael Jackson didn’t try – thank God)  While many scientists have conducted research on its main ingredient-curcumin-no details had been revealed as to how it functions in the body, until now.  In a new study, Ayyalusamy Ramamoorty  used a high-tech instrument  and discovered that molecules of curcumin act like a biochemical hall monitor!

The molecules insert themselves into cell membranes and make the membranes more stable and orderly.  This increases cells’ resistance to infection by disease-causing microbes.  If you stabilize membranes, prevent oxidation,  and reduce vascular supply to tumors, you have truly discovered the spice of life!

Mammography saves lives,  check out http://ww5.komen.org.

Dr Frye