More Cancer Answers

The more we learn about cancer, the more we realize that its threat to health is triggered by a weak immune system. According to Shane Ellison, M.Sc., in the November/December ’10 Well-Being Journal: “All cancer is a normal cellular process that only leads to death when cells fail to commit suicide in response to some type of DNA damage. Ensuring proper cell suicide is ensuring that you don’t suffer from cancer.”

To make sure your cells go through this normal mortality process, called apoptosis, you need to keep your immune system running optimally by getting enough vitamins A, C and D and minerals like zinc, as well as certain herbs and spices.

One spice that has proven highly effective in fighting cancer is turmeric. Most of the world’s turmeric is eaten in India, and studies show that India has the world’s lowest prostate cancer rate.

While turmeric has been found to boost the immune system, its best cancer-prevention quality appears to be its ability to encourage cancer-cell suicide.

“Studies by the University of Wisconsin and others reported that turmeric blocks a type of cancer cell fertilizer known as VEGF (vascular endothelial growth factor),” writes Ellison. “Without this growth factor, cancer cells are unable to thrive and eventually commit cell suicide.”

Turmeric appears to strengthen healthy cells while excising cancerous ones. It attacks the cancer’s transcription factors, which restores the cells’ ability to commit suicide without harming healthy cells.

The bottom line is to cook with turmeric whenever possible. Supplements contining turmeric or its active ingredients, curcuminoids, are also available. One last thought from Ellison: “Big Pharma is working rigorously to design drugs that mimic the active ingredients in turmeric—the curcuminoids.”