Tag Archives: Cancer

Essential Oils As Cancer Treatments – Research Updates on Two Important Oils

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The search for a cure for Cancer has been in full-swing for many years. Scientists around the globe are investigating every possible substance and protocol that they can dream up to offer mankind relief from this often terminal illness. Included in this research are many plants and plant extracts that have played significant roles in traditional medicine systems throughout history. In the last few years, interest and research into the potential of essential oils as anticancer agents has grown tremendously. (For those new to essential oils, they are simply the volatile aromatic constituents of plants — for example, the chemicals that make up the scent of a Rose or the pungency of fresh Basil. They are complex compounds, very compatible with human physiology, with a host of research-supported health benefits.)

Two Outstanding Essential Oils Researched for Anticancer Activity

Sorting through the available research published in peer-reviewed scientific journals, one finds two particular essential oils most often associated with anticancer activity: Frankincense and Lemongrass. To clarify, Lemongrass is distilled from the grass leaves of Cymbopogon citratus; the name Frankincense actually refers to the resin of Olibanum trees found mostly in Ethiopia, Somalia and India — the essential oil is distilled from the resin — or ‘sap’ — of these trees. Both Lemongrass and Frankincense have a very long history of medicinal use. Frankincense has been one of the most highly valued medicinal products throughout man’s history — Lemongrass just happens to be very prolific, but its efficacy is no less valuable because of its availability.

Modern Research Proves Ancient Medicine’s Potential

Frankincense essential oil has been noted by leading medical aromatherapists to be most effective immune system modulating aromatic. A review of the research on Frankincense oil is quite amazing, and lives up to this declaration. Using the search term ‘frankincense oil cancer’ on the National Institute of Health’s database produces 34 results (as of this writing). Frankincense oil appears to have the ability to distinguish between healthy and cancerous cells in an organ or tissue, and lead to the death of the cancerous cells while leaving the healthy ones unharmed.

Research is focusing on the chemical components of the essential oil unique to frankincense: the Boswellic acids. These natural compounds have been thoroughly studied for their anti-inflammatory activity, with a significant body of positive results. Boswellic acids can be used to reduce pain and inflammation in arthritic joints, and has even been shown to improve the texture and appearance of skin that may be prematurely aged due to sun overexposure. It is these same Boswellic acids that have been shown to induce natural cell death in cancerous cells — it is one of the features of cancer that natural cell death does not occur, and the cancerous cells then in essence grow unabated throughout the body.

Cancer Cell Specificity

The conclusion of a study published in the journal of Complementary and Alternative Medicine, March 2009, by researchers at the University of Oklahoma was “Frankincense oil appears to distinguish cancerous from normal bladder cells, and suppress cancer cell viability”. This is truly a profound result, when considering what modern chemotherapy does — reduces the viability of all cells in and surrounding a tumor, with the hope that healthy cells live through the process in significant enough numbers that the patient recovers. Similar results have been published for a great many kinds of cancer: melanoma, leukemia, liver, colon and prostate, and anecdotal reports have supported its use in the treatment of breast cancer as well.

Lemongrass: Tropical Healer

The first result of a search for ‘lemongrass’ and ‘cancer’ is a paper titled “Anticancer activity of an essential oil from Cymbopogon flexuosus” (Cf is a popular species of Lemongrass, though other research also shows similar effects from Cymbopogon citratus). This study published in the May 2009 ‘Chemico-biological Interactions’, performed at the Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine, examined both in-vitro (essentially “in the test tube”)and in-vivo (in the body) anticancer activity of Lemongrass essential oil. The oil was actually evaluated for efficacy against 12 cancer cell lines in-vitro, and 2 in-vivo. The results were no less than astounding. Lemongrass was effective at inhibiting proliferation of all the cell lines, though with significant variation in the concentrations required for this effect. The lowest concentrations of Lemongrass were needed to inhibit growth of colon cancer and neuroblastoma cells in-vitro (a type of cancer of the nerve cells occurring in children and infants). Using mouse models, lemongrass essential oil was effective at limiting proliferation of a type of breast cancer and a connective-tissue cancer.

Israeli researchers, publishing their results in the May 2007 Planta Medica, discovered similar results focusing on a primary constituent of Lemongrass essential oil: Citral. This natural constituent adds the ‘lemony’ aroma to many essential oils, including of course Lemon, Melissa, and Lemon Verbena. Citral was noted to also show cancer cell specificity (liver cancer cells were evaluated in this case), causing only the cancer cells to die off. It appears that lemongrass essential oil, like Frankincense, also induces natural cell death in cancer cells, sparing normal healthy cells in the process.

These studies (and others available through medical research databases) are indeed promising — most noting in some way that the low toxicity, availability and cancer-cell specificity of these natural compounds warrant further investigation. Because of the current climate regarding funding of alternative therapies, it will take either a government wishing to significantly save on health care costs, or a large grass roots effort, to further the research to a point where specific therapeutic protocols are developed. In the meantime, there are many respected, well-educated health professionals that may be willing to offer advice for those wishing to learn more on how Frankincense and/or Lemongrass might be employed as preventative measures. Please note, this articles is not meant to offer medical advice, but simply to report recent updates in medical research. It is not a substitute for sound professional medical advice from your physician or other qualified healthcare provider.

3 Popular People Who Made It Through Cancer

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“Cancer does not respect fame and fortune”….

Everybody knows that so long as you are breathing and still doing some activities in your life, you’ve the tendency of having a cancer. Cancer is a disease that can affect and kill anyone on this earth. Anybody can be an unwilling recipient; it attacks rich or poor people, a politician, a president, a teacher, a scientist as well as the celebrities.

Today, in our generation, cancer cases are consistently climbing. Nevertheless, survival cases have been also growing. And we would like to know exactly how these cancer victims survived a killer disease, did they try undergoing a few alternative cancer treatments? Or did they simply concentrate on doing standard cancer treatments or perhaps they’ve done both. This is the list of famous people who have been diagnosed with cancer and made it through.

1. Kate Jackson – who can fail to remember Sabrina Duncan of Charlie’s Angels 1970s television series? She is probably one of the most popular characters of early Charlie’s Angels’ series. She was a two-time cancer of the breast survivor; the very first time she was diagnosed with cancer was in 1987 right after the end of Scarecrow and Mrs. King TV series. She had successfully return on TV and shoot for Baby Boom; however, the series lasted for only one season because the audience failed to like it. In 1989, her breast cancer came back while she was starring in a series referred to as Lover boy. She successfully made it through her two cancer incidents and that’s one reason why she was included and became a cover of People magazine in May 1992. In her feature, she shared how life changing and inspiring her ordeals were.

2. Rod Stewart – Hot Legs, Sailing and I Don’t Want to talk about it, are three of the greatest hits that made Rod Stewart one of the most famous singing sensation. However, as everyone knows cancer doesn’t respect anyone. It doesn’t care exactly how prominent you are or just how great you are; Rod learned that he had a malignant thyroid gland in his throat while doing a routine checkup in 2000. He, for the meantime, stopped singing to undergo a surgical treatment for his throat. The cancer was removed surgically and Rod ultimately came back to his first love which is singing following his operation. He informed everybody that he felt a lot better after that operation.

3. Lance Armstrong – Tour de France is what made Lance Armstrong famous and dominate over the world of cycling. He’s amongst the most famous cyclists, winning Tour de France seven times! It was after his seventh consecutive win that he was diagnosed with testicular cancer. Testicular cancer is a cancer developed in the testicles which is a part of male reproductive system. He was diagnosed to have 3rd stage cancer in 1996, and the cancer cells have spread all over his lungs and brain. Although everybody knows that it is unattainable for him to pull through, he went through two surgeries aimed to eliminate his testicular cancer and another to remove the one in his brain. He eventually survived and educated himself about the disease and this at some point inspired him to establish a foundation in 2008 which was named “Lance Armstrong Foundation and Demand Media”.

These people are certainly much like us; they have the same parts of the body much like us. The thing is, nobody is exempted from having cancer. No popular person can get away the moment it strikes. Get encouragement from these folks, they never lost hope, they decided to live that’s why God gave them another opportunity at living. If you’re identified as having cancer now, use that as an inspiration to other individuals.

You might want to try doing alternative cancer treatments. Whatever you may think that’s helpful and will help you, do it. And use your life tale as an inspiration to other people. You may not be as well-known as these celebrities, but making it through this disease could make you even famous than before, because you have inspired and used the lessons in your life to support others.