Are natural remedies snake oil or promising

One Lucky Girl said:

Just a two hour flight from the UK
Hi Tex,

I'm glad you find the picture inspirational. If you have itchy feet, Ibiza's only a two hour flight from the UK (although Scotland's on my list!!!). And thank you so much for the lovely compliment above.

One Lucky Girl said:

Billy
Tee hee Tex! How did I know that one wouldn't slip by you? Girl's gotta have a little fun...

I don't actually know much about the medical care there, except that there are a couple of hospitals in Ibiza town. Happily for me, the closest I have come to a medical emergency there is cutting my forehead on my beach umbrella at Ses Salinas. Might've had something to do with those darned daiquiris... It is probably worth carefully researching the facilities before you go.

Ibiza's really pretty -- best to avoid the package tourism enclaves and enjoy the real island. Maybe even go in May or September to avoid the throngs.

One Lucky Girl said:

Switzerland
Tex, there you go again! ;-)

Sorry, thought you meant Ibiza (Spain). Switzerland has private (but universal) health care. That means that everyone living in Switzerland must have health insurance, and that insurance companies can't refuse anyone for basic care (which is actually very good and includes prescription medications). Of course, the sky is the limit in terms of private coverage (but they do get you on pre-existing conditions).

This was my first hospital experience but I think the standards are exceptionally high. Stays are generally longer i.e. you stay until you can look after yourself. For my Da Vinci procedure I was in 5 days, but had the option of staying for 10 (but I was eager to go home). Waiting times for specialists are very short (I saw 3 with no appointment).

I'm not sure what else to add here, but I will try to answer any specific questions if I know the answers.

Texas_wedge said:

Switzerland
I'm sorry if I'm actually failing to take the hint but I really meant to ask about the repercussions from the unconscionable way in which you were treated by the consultants who deceived you. I can understand if you want to treat it as just water under the bridge so I won't expect an answer on that but I hope we'll talk some more in future.

Texas_wedge said:

IP6 Gold
Olsera, I can't tell you anything about this and will be interested in any info. others here can proffer.

However, on the general topic of food supplements and diet more generally, ACS has lots of material at e.g.

http://www.cancer.org/Treatment/TreatmentsandSideEffects/ComplementaryandAlternativeMedicine/DietarySupplements/dietary-supplements-misconceptions

and the many other pages accessible from there. Also, there are many sites offering info. on foods with angiogenic inhibiting effects

http://www.google.co.uk/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=angiogenesis+inhibitors+foods&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&redir_esc=&ei=HKJYT-eMH4rw8QOw1Zn1Dg

is a good starting point.

I'm interested to see that green tea is good both for relieving depression and as an anti-cancer food, being anti-angiogenic.

Texas_wedge said:

IP6 Gold
Have you made any headway on this, Olsera? Thanks for drawing my attention to it since it contains much of interest to me.

You may have seen ads for "Dr. Shamsuddin's original patented formula" which "represents a new standard for the purest and most potent IP6 (Inositol Hexaphosphate) and Inositol" which is enough to put anyone off taking it seriously. But that would be wrong. He was one of the authors of a very impressive paper from the Univ. of Maryland, published in 2003 entitled
"Cancer Inhibition by Inositol Hexaphosphate (IP6) and Inositol: From Laboratory to Clinic"
which was presented at the International Research Conference on Food, Nutrition, and Cancer, given by the American Institute for Cancer Research and the World Cancer Research Fund International in Washington, D.C., July 17–18, 2003. It's very long and some parts will probably be impenetrable for non-experts but a few sentences give the gist, e.g. the Abstract which runs:

"Inositol hexaphosphate (IP6) is a naturally occurring polyphosphorylated carbohydrate that is present in substantial amounts in almost all plant and mammalian cells. It was recently recognized to possess multiple biological functions. A striking anticancer effect of IP6 was demonstrated in different experimental models. Inositol is also a natural constituent possessing moderate anticancer activity. The most consistent and best anticancer results were obtained from the combination of IP6 plus inositol. In addition to reducing cell proliferation, IP6 increases differentiation of malignant cells, often resulting in a reversion to normal phenotype. Exogenously administered IP6 is rapidly taken into the cells and dephosphorylated to lower-phosphate inositol phosphates, which further interfere with signal transduction pathways and cell cycle arrest. Enhanced immunity and antioxidant properties can also contribute to tumor cell destruction. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying this anticancer action are not fully understood. Because it is abundantly present in regular diet, efficiently absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract, and safe, IP6 holds great promise in our strategies for the prevention and treatment of cancer. IP6 plus inositol enhances the anticancer effect of conventional chemotherapy, controls cancer metastases, and improves the quality of life, as shown in a pilot clinical trial. The data strongly argue for the use of IP6 plus inositol in our strategies for cancer prevention and treatment. However, the effectiveness and safety of IP6 plus inositol at therapeutic doses needs to be determined in phase I and phase II clinical trials in humans."

Later sections include:

"IP6 plus inositol and patients

An enhanced antitumor activity without compromising the patient's quality of life was demonstrated in a pilot clinical trial involving six patients with advanced colorectal cancer (Dukes C and D) with multiple liver and lung metastasis (78). IP6 plus inositol was given as an adjuvant to chemotherapy according to Mayo protocol. One patient with liver metastasis refused chemotherapy after the first treatment, and she was treated only with IP6 plus inositol; her control ultrasound and abdominal computed tomography scan 14 mo after surgery showed a significantly reduced growth rate. A reduced tumor growth rate was noticed overall and in some cases a regression of lesions was noted. Additionally, when IP6 plus inositol was given in combination with chemotherapy, side effects of chemotherapy (drop in leukocyte and platelet counts, nausea, vomiting, alopecia) were diminished and patients were able to perform their daily activities (78). Further controlled randomized clinical trials are necessary to confirm these observations.

Other biological effects of IP6

In humans, IP6 not only has almost no toxic effects, but it has many other beneficial health effects such as inhibition of kidney stone formation and reduction in risk of developing cardiovascular disease. IP6 was administered orally either as the pure sodium salt or in a diet to reduce hypercalciuria and to prevent formation of kidney stones, and no evidence of toxicity was reported (64,65,79,80). A potential hypocholesterolemic effect of IP6 may be very significant in the clinical management of hyperlipidemia and diabetes (75,76,81). IP6 inhibits agonist-induced platelet aggregation (82) and efficiently protects myocardium from ischemic damage and reperfusion injury (83), both of which are important for the management of cardiovascular diseases.

Many potential beneficial actions of IP6 have been described. The inclusion of IP6 plus inositol in our strategies for prevention and treatment of cancer as well as other chronic diseases is warranted. However, the effectiveness and safety of IP6 plus inositol need to be determined in Phase I and Phase II clinical trials in humans.

Texas_wedge said:

IP6 Gold
Have you made any headway on this, Olsera? Thanks for drawing my attention to it since it contains much of interest to me.

You may have seen ads for "Dr. Shamsuddin's original patented formula" which "represents a new standard for the purest and most potent IP6 (Inositol Hexaphosphate) and Inositol" which is enough to put anyone off taking it seriously. But that would be wrong. He was one of the authors of a very impressive paper from the Univ. of Maryland, published in 2003 entitled
"Cancer Inhibition by Inositol Hexaphosphate (IP6) and Inositol: From Laboratory to Clinic"
which was presented at the International Research Conference on Food, Nutrition, and Cancer, given by the American Institute for Cancer Research and the World Cancer Research Fund International in Washington, D.C., July 17–18, 2003. It's very long and some parts will probably be impenetrable for non-experts but a few sentences give the gist, e.g. the Abstract which runs:

"Inositol hexaphosphate (IP6) is a naturally occurring polyphosphorylated carbohydrate that is present in substantial amounts in almost all plant and mammalian cells. It was recently recognized to possess multiple biological functions. A striking anticancer effect of IP6 was demonstrated in different experimental models. Inositol is also a natural constituent possessing moderate anticancer activity. The most consistent and best anticancer results were obtained from the combination of IP6 plus inositol. In addition to reducing cell proliferation, IP6 increases differentiation of malignant cells, often resulting in a reversion to normal phenotype. Exogenously administered IP6 is rapidly taken into the cells and dephosphorylated to lower-phosphate inositol phosphates, which further interfere with signal transduction pathways and cell cycle arrest. Enhanced immunity and antioxidant properties can also contribute to tumor cell destruction. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying this anticancer action are not fully understood. Because it is abundantly present in regular diet, efficiently absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract, and safe, IP6 holds great promise in our strategies for the prevention and treatment of cancer. IP6 plus inositol enhances the anticancer effect of conventional chemotherapy, controls cancer metastases, and improves the quality of life, as shown in a pilot clinical trial. The data strongly argue for the use of IP6 plus inositol in our strategies for cancer prevention and treatment. However, the effectiveness and safety of IP6 plus inositol at therapeutic doses needs to be determined in phase I and phase II clinical trials in humans."

Later sections include:

"IP6 plus inositol and patients

An enhanced antitumor activity without compromising the patient's quality of life was demonstrated in a pilot clinical trial involving six patients with advanced colorectal cancer (Dukes C and D) with multiple liver and lung metastasis (78). IP6 plus inositol was given as an adjuvant to chemotherapy according to Mayo protocol. One patient with liver metastasis refused chemotherapy after the first treatment, and she was treated only with IP6 plus inositol; her control ultrasound and abdominal computed tomography scan 14 mo after surgery showed a significantly reduced growth rate. A reduced tumor growth rate was noticed overall and in some cases a regression of lesions was noted. Additionally, when IP6 plus inositol was given in combination with chemotherapy, side effects of chemotherapy (drop in leukocyte and platelet counts, nausea, vomiting, alopecia) were diminished and patients were able to perform their daily activities (78). Further controlled randomized clinical trials are necessary to confirm these observations.

Other biological effects of IP6

In humans, IP6 not only has almost no toxic effects, but it has many other beneficial health effects such as inhibition of kidney stone formation and reduction in risk of developing cardiovascular disease. IP6 was administered orally either as the pure sodium salt or in a diet to reduce hypercalciuria and to prevent formation of kidney stones, and no evidence of toxicity was reported (64,65,79,80). A potential hypocholesterolemic effect of IP6 may be very significant in the clinical management of hyperlipidemia and diabetes (75,76,81). IP6 inhibits agonist-induced platelet aggregation (82) and efficiently protects myocardium from ischemic damage and reperfusion injury (83), both of which are important for the management of cardiovascular diseases.

Many potential beneficial actions of IP6 have been described. The inclusion of IP6 plus inositol in our strategies for prevention and treatment of cancer as well as other chronic diseases is warranted. However, the effectiveness and safety of IP6 plus inositol need to be determined in Phase I and Phase II clinical trials in humans.