Patrick Quillin

There is an herb right under our noses, that for many years has been prized for its healing power. More recently, clinical studies have confirmed its incredible healing abilities. The magic herb is. . . cayenne pepper.

Cayenne pepper, or, more specifically, capsaicin (the ingredient that gives cayenne its spiciness) thins the blood. That can only help blood vessels that are full of cholesterol and sugar. Capsaicin stimulates the conduction of nerve impulses, which will help the common American complaint of fatigue. It is also a mild irritant to mucus membranes, which will increase the flow of mucus from the lungs and sinuses. That will help flush out viruses, bacteria and debris. Capsaicin protects the stomach from alcohol and aspirin, it inhibits cancer, it is full of nutrients, and, believe it or not, it also releases endorphins.

The book also explores how cayenne pepper can help with specific ailments. Angina can be helped because capsaicin triggers the release of calcitonin gene related peptide, which is a potent dilator of the blood vessels that surround the heart. High cholesterol can be reduced because it reduces the absorption of fats and cholesterol in the intestines, and slows the creation of excess cholesterol in the liver. Cayenne encourages sweating and detoxification, which can help remove toxins from the body. It increases the flow of juices in the intestinal tract, which helps move food along and encourages regularity, getting rid of constipation. Capsaicin's ability to warm the body is well known; this can help those suffering from frostbite. It can also reduce pain of various kinds by depleting the body's nerve endings of Substance P (pain). For those new to hot peppers, it can be ingested through capsules, powder or salsa.

Sounds pretty good, doesn't it? Needless to say, a talk with your doctor, before starting, is not a bad idea. Cayenne can be gotten at any grocery store, and after reading this book, which includes recipes, maybe it should be slowly added to your diet. If a copy of this book can be found, it is short and says a lot.… (more)

Ever wonder what goes on at Cancer Centers of America? This book may give you some clues, as the author was associated with those cancer hospitals.

His program in three steps:
1- Debulk tumors with “traditional” treatments: surgery, radiation, chemo, plus hyperthermia.
2- Regulate remaining cancer cells with enzymes.
3- Feed the immune system. Build resistance with nutrition.

What is meant by nutrition? “Anti-cancer” foods, especially proteins and vegetables, plus megasupplements: vitamins, minerals, herbs, glandulars, fatty acids, probiotics, food extracts. This book assumes that cancer is caused by deficiencies, not excesses.

The recipes in this book include ingredients that should be off-limits to cancer patients: salt, sugar, garlic, meats, cheese and dairy, wine, bacon and eggs. Even “liquid smoke,” whatever that is. This book states repeatedly that sugar feeds cancer. Then why do its recipes call for brown sugar? It says on page 115 that brown sugar is “virtually identical to white sugar.” The author calls salt an “essential nutrient.” Being inorganic, salt is neither essential nor a nutrient. Organic sodium and organic chloride are essential, but you won’t find them in salt. He thinks a vegetarian diet might be too alkaline, but cancer patients tend to be too acidic. He calls garlic a “superfood” but garlic is a toxic irritant that contains allicin and mustard oil.

The “traditional” treatments included in this program disable or damage the immune system. Can nutrition repair that damage? Many of these “super” nutrients are said to “boost” the immune system, but how do they do that? Some of them are toxic. If you ingest poison you will get an immune response, but provoking the immune system is not the same as boosting it. Garlic, for example, is credited with stimulating the immune system; its toxicity provokes an immune response. On page 73 this book says, “Biological therapies attempt to fine-tune and focus the immune system into a more vigorous attack on the cancer,” but “most forms have extremely toxic side effects.” So it is unlikely that the damage to the immune system can be undone, and that is the bottom line of this program.

A good discussion but too much science and not enough nature, in my opinion. Too many dubious “super” nutrients to balance against one another. Too much complex biochemistry to manage. Healing does not need to be this complicated. Are concentrated supplements effective in pill form? Can they even be safe in megadoses?

This book is right to assert the importance of nutrition in cancer but I am reminded of Herbert M. Shelton’s sage advice: “There are no superfoods.”… (more)