The truth about 3 natural cancer cures - Vitamin B17, alkaline diet and cannabis oil

Therapies such as acupuncture and massage can support / complement modern cancer treatments. However, claims of eliminating disease naturally through natural cures may be ineffective and actually dangerous for cancer patients.

Points to note

- Complementary treatments support standard cancer treatments and are particularly effective in controlling side effects and improving quality of life.

- However, using treatments that are unproven or have not been shown to work can harm cancer patients.

- Some may interfere with the main treatment's effectiveness.

On the internet, television programs and recently in books, we very frequently encounter recipes for cancer miracle treatments, complete healing and natural cures . These visual and written materials claim to use definite ways to prevent or treat cancer, and well-meaning people may encourage patients to try them in the hope of eliminating their disease. There is something over there; have you tried it is a question every cancer patient or relative has encountered. Some patients, worried that current modern medical treatments will not work or will cause significant side effects, may turn to these supposedly natural treatments despite their unproven effectiveness and even awareness of possible risks. Particularly if your cancer involves uncertainty or your anxiety level is very high, these unproven natural cures are tried as a hope for recovery. More chillingly, people whose cancer could be completely cured with current medical methods (for example, very early-stage cancer) also turn to these natural cures and lose their chance of treatment.

Increasing numbers of our patients or their relatives try to use natural means to treat their cancers or prevent recurrence after cancer treatment. People supporting these so-called natural treatments often may have no medical or oncology background. We also see a few oncologists or doctors turning their backs on evidence-based treatment or integrating natural cures into modern treatment with “appealing rhetoric”. When treatment succeeds, portraying the natural cures added to standard treatment as responsible is another, more troubling aspect… When patients who try these treatments return to seeking genuinely effective treatment, they may find it is too late and their cancer has spread extensively.

Let us consider 3 very popular natural cancer cures;

Vitamin B17 ( amygdalin ) – apricot kernels

Claim: Sold under the trade name Laetrile , this “natural cure” first became popular as a cancer treatment a century ago in Russia and America. It is a purified form of amygdalin derived from apricot kernels and certain nuts and plants. Intestinal enzymes break down Laetrile to produce cyanide ; supposedly, this cyanide kills cancer cells without harming normal tissue. Some claim that Laetrile is actually a vitamin called B17 and that deficiencies may cause certain cancers. An oral pill form of Laetrile, banned in the United States, is available in other countries.

Distorted evidence: Laetrile does indeed turn into cyanide after digestion, but the poison seriously damages normal tissues as well as cancer cells rather than selectively targeting cancer, and patients can consequently die. Clinical studies in the 1970s and 1980s showed that Laetrile did not reduce malignant tumor size or growth, and also caused cyanide poisoning and death in many patients and healthy people.

Verdict: Laetrile, frequently referred to as vitamin B17, has not been proven effective against cancer and may even be dangerous for some patients.

Changing pH levels through diet – Alkaline diet

Claim: Based on scientific observations that cancer cells grow in an acidic environment ( meaning low pH levels ), some people claim that foods such as meat, cheese and grains that are acidic increase cancer risk by lowering pH. They also claim that less acidic foods help treat cancer. However, an acidic environment is a consequence of cancer, rather than its cause, and however alkaline or acidic your intake, you cannot change blood pH.

Distorted evidence: Cancer cells create an acidic microenvironment because of their high metabolic rate. They cannot survive in a highly alkaline ( basic ) environment, but neither can healthy cells! Our kidneys and lungs work continuously to keep pH stable, and changing your diet / foods does not make blood more acidic or basic.

The acidity or alkalinity of a solution is expressed as pH. Food is acidic if its pH is below 7 and alkaline if above 7. Our body's pH lies in a very sensitive, narrow, slightly alkaline range of 7,35-7,45, and changes in this range cause many disorders (blood pH below 7 is incompatible with life).

The pH of body fluids such as saliva and urine changes temporarily according to what you eat, but this does not affect blood pH ( or consequently the environment of cancer cells in the body ).

Verdict: There is no evidence that changing your diet to reduce blood acidity affects cancer growth. Changing saliva or urine pH does not mean blood pH has changed. Some patients try chemicals such as baking soda to change blood pH, but this can be extremely dangerous.

- You may be interested in: What Is an Alkaline Diet? Does an Alkaline Diet Benefit Cancer?

Cannabis oil

Claim: Cannabis / hemp / cannabis oil frequently appears in reports claiming it eliminates or shrinks cancer. It is also claimed to treat diabetes, ulcers, arthritis (joint inflammation), migraine, insomnia and many other diseases. The substance, also called cannabis oil or hemp oil, is extracted from hemp. Hemp oil, largely containing cannabidiol, is the part with much fewer psychological effects. The compound called tetrahydrocannabidiol is responsible for the pleasurable and addictive effect preferred by cannabis users.

Cannabis oil can be used in several forms with different potential effects. Options include use as cooking oil, spraying under the tongue, or vaporizing and inhaling it.

Distorted evidence: Although the FDA has approved some medicines made from cannabis substances to reduce cancer-treatment side effects such as nausea and vomiting and increase appetite, there is no evidence or clinical trial result showing that cannabis products treat cancer.

Claims that cannabis oil cures cancer are based on limited laboratory research, and results are contradictory even in the laboratory. It has side effects such as memory and attention loss. Perhaps most importantly, cannabis compounds affect patients' metabolism of other cancer drugs, increasing their side effects or reducing their effectiveness.

Verdict: No human study to date shows that cannabis oil can be used as a cancer treatment. Patients using it or any form of cannabis must inform their doctors because of potential side effects and interactions with cancer drugs.

- You may be interested in: Can cannabis - hemp be used medically? What are its potential risks and benefits?

Summary

“Natural” cancer therapies should be considered very carefully because most are not supported by strong evidence. The good news is that modern cancer treatments now called “standard” are safer and more effective than ever. New chemotherapy drugs produce better results with fewer side effects, and new medicines target specific differences ( mutations ) in cancer cells with little or no harm to healthy cells. Advanced radiotherapy technologies destroy tumors extremely precisely while protecting normal tissue. Immunotherapies use the body's own immune power to destroy cancer cells. New surgical techniques allow safer tumor removal while minimizing both recurrence risk and recovery times.

In conclusion;

Today's modern cancer treatments, such as chemotherapy, radiotherapy, cancer surgery and immunotherapy, restore increasing numbers of patients to health in a very modest way. What should be added to these treatments is not natural cures, but acupuncture, music therapy, yoga and massage and similar complementary therapies, which promise better healthcare.

- You may be interested in: 7 Reasons People Feel a Need for Complementary and Alternative Cancer Treatments