Evidence Based Ayurveda Treatment and Diet for Cancer

Dr. Nitin R. Kochar (M.D.-Ayurveda)

Root Cause of Cancer, Genetic or Metabolic:

Any disease can be successfully treated or managed if its root cause is known and targeted effectively.

Thanks to the research in Molecular biology due to which it is now getting established that Cancer is also a  ”Metabolic" disease. 

The disease process is initiated in our cellular " Power House" called, Mitochondria and then through reverse messaging system inside the cell, faulty messages are sent to the nucleus and a Cancerous process is spread. Sometimes, it may take a decade or two to completely transform a normal cell into a "Cancerous" cell. During this phase, there are important changes occur in the cell, which is called " field effect" or "Field defect "which can be picked by certain metabolic investigations.This breakthrough research shall help doctors to detect Cancer in a very earliest or in a "pre-primary" stages and consequently disease can be prevented & treated with a great percentage of the rate of success. This will definitely reduce number death and deformities happening due to Cancers. 

What is Mitochondria & how it can be explained in terms of Ayurveda? 

In Ayurveda, this cellular powerhouse i.e. “Mitochondria" can be compared with a very important factor, called “Agni". Surprisingly, there are word to word similarities between the structural & functional description of “Mitochondria" & "Agni" as follows 

1)  Both are said to be inherited through Mother only (that’s why we must thank and worship our mother), 

2)  Both are responsible for converting food to bodily consumable energy & for nurturing tissues and organs.

3)  Both are the sit of production of heat, essential for survival and for burning of Fat. 

4) Both are dynamic and in a fluid state ( Agni resides in one of the humours called -Pitta). 

5) Both are essential for the growth & responsible for death of the non-functioning cells, 

6) Both are essential for various metabolic processes related to calcium, iron, hormones, detoxification and so on and so forth.

 In Ayurveda, it is said that person is healthy till his/ her “Agni" is robust. A person becomes diseased if Agni is vitiated & Person succumbs to death when his/ her “Agni" is doused completely. Same is the description and importance of modern Mitochondria. So much was the vision of our ancient scientist, who without the help of microscope had discovered & described the minutest portion and function of Cell biology & wrote down for the generations, without expecting any royalty. 

Which factors spoil or vitiate Agni and Mitochondria-

A) External- Pollution, Toxins, Pesticides, Tobacco, Alcohol, Excess amount of Sugar, Bakery products, Excess of red meat, infection etc.

B ) Wrong dietary lifestyle,

C) Internal - Stress, Obesity, Free radicals (or as per Ayurveda Kafa, Pitta & Vata Dosha), hormonal 

D) Genetic (1) - Mitochondrial mutation (which is different than Mutation of a cellular nucleus) and as per Ayurveda inherited weak or Vitiated “Agni" from a mother. 

E) Genetic ( 2) - in some few cases genetic mutation of DNA nucleus, which is also described in Ayurveda as " Beej Dosha"

What are the special features of Cancer cells? 

1) Failure to Apoptosis- (Failure to die --- Every cell, which is born has to die after some time but cancer cells are immortal) 

2) Ability to Metastasize- (Tissues or cells of one system do not go the territory of other tissues but Cancerous cells invade and spread in other tissues) 

3) Skip the immunity- (Generally abnormal cells are fired by immunity but cancer cells deceive immunity and escape their firing) 

4) Altered Metabolism- (Cancerous cells, in spite of presence of Oxygen, do not oxidize glucose but ferment it) 

5) Increased angiogenesis (They pull blood circulation to them) 

6) Uncontrolled growth

All these features are explained in a nutshell in the following paragraph- 

Once the Mitochondria ( or Agni) is vitiated it stops or reduces metabolizing & processing food juices received by cells, hence cells turn to other pathway called "Aerobic Glycolysis or Aerobic Fermentation" due to which Glucose ( the major energy supplier) is completely converted ( fermented)  into Lactic acid and there is a Metabolic shift in the process which produces less of energy ( that is the reason patient feels lethargic & weak)  and more of raw material is produced like fatty acid, Nucleic acid, Amino acids etc which are  used for the multiplication and growth of cells ( which produces Tumor ) . The lactic acid helps cancer cells to break the protecting wall of Matrix around the cell and hence cancer cell can invade or infect other normal tissues and grow (this is called Metastasis - spreading to other's area). This is how Cancer progress and these Cancer cells eat up a major part of nutrition, depriving of healthy tissues. Due to abnormally functioning Mitochondria, Cancerous cells become "immortal" and they generate progeny of "immortal Cancerous cells". IN order to get nourishment by multiplying cells, cancerous cells stimulate budding of more and more blood vessels (Angiogenesis) which brings more and more food for the growth of Cancerous tissue. Due to production of Lactic acid and Carbonic acid, immunity is not able to reach them and destroy them hence cancerous cells are shielded from the attack of Immunity. 

How Ayurveda treatment can help to combat with Cancer?

  It is now established that "reverse" signaling from dysfunctional or abnormal Mitochondria play important role in the initiation and progress of Cancer cells and conversely it is also proven that Healthy Mitochondria can suppress growth of cancer cells and make them more susceptible to the treatment. So any drug or treatment which can improve Mitochondrial function can modify course of disease and arrest its growth. IN this article we have seen that Mitochondria and Agni are same organelle and in Ayurveda, for cancer following treatment is provided 

1) To remove the free radicals, toxins, excess amount of dirty Pitta, Kafa & Vata which are know to impair the functions of Agni 

2) To restore & strengthen the metabolic functioning of Agni due to which further chain of events are curtailed and disease process comes under control.

3) To change the cellular environment, which breaks down or absorb the Lactic acid which is produced by cancerous cells. By this, Cancer cells lose their ability to spread and metastasize

4) To improve the Immunity, this then destroys Cancerous cells. 

5) There are certain herbs, like Neem which stimulates Tumor suppressor pathways and compel body to produce more tumor’s death promoting ( Apoptosis) chemicals and reduce anti apoptotic chemicals ; all of these modalities lead to death of cancerous cells and are removed from the system.

6) There are certain herbs like Tinospora which are known to arrest abnormal cell cycle, without affecting normal cell cycle. This mode of action further reduces uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells. 

7) Some herbs like Ashwagandha reduces budding of newer blood vessels in cancerous tissues, thereby cuts off the nourishment of cancerous tissues.

8) Some herbs like Turmeric acts blocks the effect of chemicals ( like TNF alfa) which are responsible for inflammation and Turmeric also blocks effect of growth factor called NF kappa -b, thereby uncontrolled multiplication is arrested. 

9) Turmeric & Ashwagandha also stimulate p53 tumor suppressor pathway.

10) Some house hold herb like Fenugreek absorbs lactic acid and stops glucose supply to cancer cells hence they are deprived of their food and die. 

What diet is recommended to patient suffering from Cancer? 

The best diet is to follow intermittent fasting or calorie restricted diet which is sufficient enough to provide all required nutrients to the body and immunity but at the same time, deprives  cancer cells from their food and compel them to die. General guide line is as follows

1) Strictly avoid all Maida and bakery products 

2) No Sabudana, No vinegar, no Tobacco, No Liquor. 

3) Avoid deep fried food 

4) Avoid late night dinner (dinner should be over by 7 pm) 

5) No raw food or salad, especially when on chemotherapy 

6) Minimum intake of Sugar with one or two days of “NO sugar" per week in any form (Which means no White/ brown sugar, No Jaggery, No honey, No fruit juices, no Carrot or beet root juice ) 

7) Once a week fasting as per the advice of expert Vaidya. 

Frequently asked queries?

1) Are there any steroids in the Herbal medicines - No, we do not do such kind of unscrupulous or non ethical practice. My drugs can be tested and subjected to any kind of test for that matter. 

2) Are these drugs safe during Chemotherapy- There are certain reports, published in good journals, which has proven good effect of chemotherapy when combined with herbal treatment. (Care to be taken that herbal treatment should be of standardized quality and should not be given on the day of injectable chemotherapy, rest it can be given. It also depends of stage and type of the cancer, so final decision to be taken only after discussing every pros and cons) . There are various clinical studies indicating that if standardized herbal preparations of Curcumin, Ashwagandha are given along with chemotherapy, results are better. Many chemo resistant cancers respond very well when supplemented with Curcumin , Ashwagandha & Tinospora cordifolia. 

3) Can herbal therapy replace or avoid chemotherapy- No, one should follow complete modern protocol as it is. Herbal treatment is mainly given to as chemo adjuvant to improve the immunity and mitochondrial function as stated above.

4) Can Ayurveda treatment avoid surgery and radiation- All of you will be surprised to read the fact that, in Ayurveda, which was written 3000 years B.C., it is clearly mentioned that, first line of treatment of Cancer is to surgically remove it and then to " Burn" the margins, this concept is similar to today's modern protocol of Surgery followed by Radiation. So any tumor , if operable, should be removed promptly by an expert Onco-Surgeon. 

5) What is Chemo prevention?  This term was coined by Dr Michel Sporm, in 1976. Chemopreventive are the drugs, natural or Synthetic, which have potential to Reverse, Suppress and or Prevent further growth of cancer. I advise various such Chemopreventive herbs and ways to many normal people and also to cancer patients.  

Please feel free to ask any other questions 

Dr. Nitin Kochar (M.D. - Ayurveda- Practicing since last 22 years) 

(Ayurveda Consultant for Cancer & all Chronic Diseases)

( www.myayurvedadoctor.com ) ( drnitinkochar@gmail.com) ( 9819702151 / 02228789425)

   

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