January 2010
When Eileen Draper told her gynecologist she was having menopausal symptoms, her doctor told her she had to start taking hormone replacement therapy (HRT). “Don’t I have a choice?” Draper asked. Her doctor told her that all of her patients in peri-menopause had to go on HRT; there was no choice if she wanted to keep her doctor.
But Draper had done extensive research, and she was not willing to risk the side effects of HRT. The doctor also required each patient to have annual bone density tests and mammograms. Eileen knew that mammograms emit large amounts of radiation, and these were expensive tests. Eileen did not have insurance. She decided to find a Naturopath, a doctor who treats without drugs. According to TMD Limited, a medical tourism company, surveys show that the reason most patients seek treatment outside of conventional medicine is because their doctors want to dictate tests and treatments, not allowing patients to make their own choices.
According to the survey, patients want to be partners with their doctors, able to discuss treatment options and be part of the decision making process. When faced with a life-threatening illness, patients want to feel they have some control over their situation. Being herded into conventional treatments without being allowed time to research and make informed decisions often means the patient loses faith in traditional medicine.
Marvin Stein had been into natural healing all his life. When he developed prostate cancer and his oncologist recommended immediate surgery followed by chemo and radiation, he explained that he wanted to try natural healing methods before such drastic treatment. The oncologist threatened to dismiss him, saying that if he didn’t follow his orders, he was on his own. Without a doctor of record, Stein had no one to order tests or follow his case.
“I gave in to the doctors’ demand,” Stein says. “I had the surgery. I am permanently impotent, and often have incontinence. I am so sorry I let this doctor be such a dictator. It’s my own fault, for not standing up for my rights as a patient. When my brother was diagnosed with the same cancer, he went to Mexico and had non invasive treatment. Today he is cancer free, and he had absolutely no side effects.”
Treatments that are free of side effects are one of the main reasons people choose to go outside the US for their health care. The second reason given was that doctors practicing more natural medicine tend to spend more time with their patients, listening to and addressing concerns and making the patient an integral part of the decision process.
Dr. Antonio Jimenez, medical director of Hope4Cancer Institute in Baja, Mexico, typically spends about two hours with each new patient to go over test results and devise a treatment plan. At his clinic, patients see their doctors for progress reports each morning for about an hour, and again in the afternoon to make sure their questions are answered. “An informed patient makes great progress,” says Jimenez. “We believe that a patient has the right to make decisions about their health and their treatment. We are doctors, not dictators. You can’t see a patient for five minutes and think you know exactly what they need. There are religious beliefs to consider, and family dynamics, stress levels, diet, emotional health, hopes and dreams. Our patients are people, and the more we know about them, the better we can help them. We can’t learn about them from a form; we need to spend time getting to know them. We invite their spouse or friends to become involved in the healing process. An illness is a family affair; it affects more people than just the patient.”
Jimenez represents a growing number of doctors who choose to practice just outside the US border, unhampered by the pressures of US doctors who must see a certain number of patients each day, and whose livelihood depends on payment from insurance companies.
Statistic show that Americans spend more on alternative treatments each year than they do on conventional medicine, even though the money comes directly out of their pocket. A 1998 study by The Christian Research Institute reported that Americans spent as much as 32.7 billion dollars on alternative treatments that year. This figure reflects the huge amount of dissatisfaction with conventional medicine. One of three adults in American used alternative treatments this past year. Patients want to be heard, and consulted, and they want less surgery and drugs and more personal attention. Conventional practitioners’ inability to provide this type of care is forcing patients to seek alternative treatment or to look outside the US for the types of treatment they want.
A study by the National Institutes of Health showed that patients using alternative treatments tended to be highly educated and relatively wealthy. These pro-active professionals tend to be in pursuit of wellness and disease prevention. Instead of expensive tests and drug therapies, they use diet, stress reduction like meditation, supplements and herbs, exercise and yoga to maintain their health. When they do see a medical doctor, they are seeking expert advice and guidance, but want to participate in their healthcare decisions.
There are over 18,000 licensed Acupuncturists in the US, another 4,000 Naturopaths, plus practitioners of Ayuvedic, homeopathy, massage therapists, energy medicine and biofeedback. Patient satisfaction keeps them coming back and the alternative fields are a thriving business. Cancer patients who research the realities of chemotherapy also want better options.
While most traditional medical doctors still frown on these ‘complimentary’ therapies, many are beginning to incorporate some aspects of alternative care into their practice. Until our doctors understand the need to treat the whole person, US citizens will continue to flock across to border for treatment of their serious medical conditions, and pro-active health care consumers will continue to spend billions to stay healthy naturally.
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June 30, 2009
At 51, Charles Daniels had a lot to live for. A thriving construction business, a precious 11 year old daughter and a happy long-term relationship. When he was diagnosed with bladder cancer, he was determined to beat the odds. According to TMD, a medical tourism corporation, Daniels case is typical – he tried conventional medicine until they had nothing left to offer but a poor prognosis, and then went out of the country for alternative cancer treatment and is cancer free today.
Just before Christmas 2007, Daniels urinated blood. He went right to his primary care doctor, who did an ultrasound and X-rays, which were inconclusive. Suspecting an infection, his doctor gave him antibiotics. Within 24 hours, the blood was no longer visible. But a follow up visit showed microscopic blood in his urine, and he was sent to a urologist. A cytoscopy exam (where a small camera is inserted into the bladder) and intra-venous pyelogram (an X-ray with contrast that provides pictures of the entire urinary system) found bladder cancer.
“I was shocked,” Daniels said. “I was in perfect health, I felt good, and I thought I just had an infection.”
This year, almost 71,000 Americans will be diagnosed with bladder cancer. According to the National Cancer Institute, the survival rate for stage III bladder cancer is 50%; stage IV is rarely survived. Symptoms include blood in the urine and frequent, painful or urgent urination.
Risk factors are smoking, chemical exposure to dyes, rubber and pesticides, chronic infections and parasites. Women undergoing chemotherapy and radiation for cervical cancer also have an increased risk of developing bladder cancer.
Daniels’ oncologist recommended surgery to remove the tumor. While his doctor was cautiously optimistic, further testing confirmed the invasive tumor had penetrated the muscle wall. “My doctor wanted to remove my bladder, prostate and surrounding lymph nodes, and create a new bladder from my intestines. He said with this surgery I had a 90% survival rate. I wanted to live, and 90% sounded like a good number.”
Daniels expected to wake up after surgery and be cancer free. But his surgeon found that the tumor had grown outside the bladder wall and surrounding lymph nodes tested positive. His survival rate dropped from 90% to 40%. Despite an aggressive chemotherapy program, his next CAT scan revealed three new tumors in his liver. He now was stage IV. At this point, mainstream medicine offered no hope of cure, and his life expectancy dropped to around nine months. The chemotherapy left him feeling exhausted and sick, and he suffered weight and hair loss. Permanent side effects included hearing loss, tingling in his extremities and ‘chemo brain’.
Next, Daniels underwent Radio Frequency Ablation (RAF), a guided imagery surgery where a needle like probe transmits microwaves into tumors causing the destruction of tumor cells. The RAF destroyed the tumors, but he was told they would come back – there is no mainstream cure for his cancer.
Daniels then began researching alternative treatments. He sent emails with his medical history to clinics throughout the United States and Mexico. He interviewed doctors and talked to patients. When he asked about success rates, the answers he received ranged from “we’ll make you more comfortable” to “complete remission”.
Finally, he learned about a fairly new cancer treatment called SonoPhoto Dynamic Therapy (SPDT). This non-invasive treatment uses a non-toxic sensitizing agent along with sound and light to destroy cancer cells. Dr. Antonio Jimenez, medical director of the Hope4Cancer Institute south of San Diego, California in Baja, Mexico, has successfully treated bladder and other cancers with this program. Although this is a natural treatment without side effects, SPDT is considered a mainstream cancer treatment in 25 European countries. SPDT has proven effective against ovarian, prostate, colon, lung, pancreatic, liver and breast cancers, among others. It has not yet been approved in the United States.
Daniels decided to travel to Mexico for two weeks of SPDT treatment followed by a two month home program. “My doctors were not opposed to this,” Daniels says. “They had nothing left to offer me.”
“From the minute I walked into this clinic I had hope.” Daniels says the doctors were upbeat and the staff was exceptionally caring. “The treatment was painless and there were no side effects. When I finished the program, my CAT scans were absolutely clear and my blood work was normal. I continue to have testing done every few months, and I am still completely cancer free. I stay on a maintenance program. I am going to watch my daughter grow up. I married my long time sweetheart. I only wish I would have found this treatment sooner.”
BY DR. GARCIA AND DR. PEREZ, BIOSCIENCE RESEARCH INSTITUTE
January 2010
Question: Many clinics give Vitamin C by IV. Have there been any studies to show how this treatment can benefit cancer patients ?
Answered by Dr. Eduardo Ariel Perez Carbajal and Dr. Juan Manuel Garcia DeLeon Buenfil - BioScience Research Institute, Tijuana, Mexico.
A number of case-control studies have investigated the role of vitamin C in cancer prevention. Most have shown that higher intakes of vitamin C are associated with decreased incidence of cancers of the mouth, throat and vocal chords, esophagus, stomach, colon-rectum and lung. Because the possibility of bias is greater in case-control studies, prospective studies are generally given more weight in the evaluation of the effect of nutrient intake on disease.
In general, prospective studies in which the lowest intake group consumed more than 86 mg of vitamin C daily have not found significant cancer risk reductions found them in people consuming at least 80 to 110 mg of vitamin C daily.
One study of 870 men over a period of 25 years found that those who consumed more than 83 mg of vitamin C daily had a striking 64% reduction in lung cancer compared with those who consumed less that 63 mg per day.
Although most large studies found no association between breast cancer and vitamin C intake, two recent studies found dietary vitamin C intake to be inversely associated with breast cancer risk in certain subgroups. In the Nurses’ Health Study, premenopausal women with a family history of breast cancer who consumed an average of 205 mg/day of vitamin C from foods had a 63% lower risk of breast cancer than those who consumed an average of 70 mg/day of vitamin C.
In the Swedish Mammography Cohort, women who were overweight and consumed an average of 110 mg/day of vitamin C had a 39% lower risk of breast cancer compared to overweight women who consumed an average of 31 mg/day.
A number of observational studies have found increased dietary vitamin C intake to be associated with decreased risk of stomach cancer, and laboratory experiments indicate that vitamin C inhibits the formation of carcinogenic compounds in the stomach.
Infection with the bacteria, helicobacter pylori (H pylori ) is known to increase the risk of stomach cancer and also appears to lower the vitamin C content of stomach secretions. Although two intervention studies did not find a decrease in the occurrence of stomach cancer with vitamin C supplementation, more recent research suggests that vitamin c supplementation may be a useful addition to standard H. pylori eradication therapy in reducing the risk of gastric cancer.
Evidence suggests that the more vitamin C that you ingest in your diet, the healthier you will be. Here at BioScience Research Institute, vitamin C is widely used in many of our programs.
We use high/mega dose IV therapy for many health issues, including infections, heavy metal toxicity, cancer, wellness, joint support, immune support and detoxification. –Dr. Perez and Dr. Garcia
May 2009
Mike Strong, a health minister for Hallelujah Acres, was only 52 when an annual physical revealed his Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) was 31 (normal is 4 or under). Although he had no symptoms, a biopsy confirmed that he had cancer. His doctor urged him to have a radical prostectomy to remove his prostate and surrounding tissue. He refused, but did agree to take the testosterone blocker Lupron for one year.
The Lupron made him feel extremely tired and he lost all sexual desire. The drug temporarily lowered his PSA, but it jumped to 46 when he stopped it. Mike began researching treatments that would not cause impotence (erectile dysfunction), incontinence (urine leakage) or a host of other side effects. He went on a raw food diet, had his dental amalgams removed and took testosterone blockers, which also eliminated his libido. He joined a clinical trial, but his cancer began to spread and he lost an alarming amount of weight.
While taking part in the clinical trial, Mike met Dr. Antonio Jimenez, Medical Director of the Hope4Cancer Institute in Baja, California. “Dr. Jimenez offered a non-toxic, proven cancer treatment that combined Sono-Photo Dynamic Therapy with radio-wave hyperthermia. Finally, a treatment without side effects!”
As early as age 40, the prostate may begin to increase in size, and by age sixty, 80% of men have an enlarged prostate. This can cause the urethra to narrow, decreasing urine flow. Symptoms include an urgent need to urinate (especially at night), a thin stream, discomfort above the bladder, blood in the urine, low back pain, weak or interrupted flow and pain or burning when urinating. Sometimes, prostate cells begin to grow abnormally, forming a tumor.
Prostate screening normally includes a blood test called PSA, digital rectal exam (DRE) and a Sonogram/Ultrasound. If cancer is suspected, traditional medicine requires a biopsy where a Gleason score (a system of grading tissue/aggressiveness after biopsy) is obtained, followed by surgery and some combination of radiation, chemotherapy and hormone therapy. Seed radiation or brachytherapy is another invasive procedure where tiny ‘seeds’ are implanted that deliver a time-release dose of radiation. Side effects of these treatments often leave a man with impotence, incontinence, fatigue, hot flashes, rectal irritation or damage, diarrhea and blood in the stool. At least 40% of all surgery patients will experience erectile dysfunction. Side effects may not be apparent immediately; they can begin gradually and increase with time in the years after treatment.
According to the National Cancer Institute, 218,890 men were diagnosed with prostate cancer in the United States in 2007. Understandably, men are horrified at the thought of becoming impotent and incontinent. Since virtually all treatments offered in the USA come with a host of undesirable side effects, many patients like Mike Strong are seeking treatments outside the United States.
Strong traveled to Baja to the Hope4Cancer Institute, a small ‘boutique’ clinic with 5 patient rooms and 5 physicians on staff. “I arrived in a wheelchair, and I had a catheter,” Mike explained. “After a week of treatment, I was playing golf and have not worn a catheter since.”
According to Dr. Jimenez, after two weeks of treatment Mike’s sonogram showed a 50% decrease in tumor size and his blood work was normal. “In my 20 years of medical practice, Sono-Photo Dynamic Therapy (SPDT) is the most effective treatment for Prostate cancer that I have ever offered. It gives patients improved quality of life while attacking cancer cells and tumors.”
Mike received Sono-Photo Dynamic Therapy (SPDT). During this treatment patients ingest a chlorophyll-like agent that adheres to cancer cells. Then, sound (sono) and light (photo) are pulsed through the body at very precise frequencies that cause the agent to ‘explode’ with free radical oxygen, instantly killing cancer cells, which cannot survive in the presence of oxygen. SPDT has just recently been approved in the US, although it has been used in other countries since the 1800’s.
In addition, he received radio-wave hyperthermia, a treatment that heats cancer cells and damages them so they cannot reproduce , without harming normal cells. Other treatments included natural medicines and therapies to kill cancer cells, detoxify the body and build the immune system.
“The treatment was pain-free and had no side effects, and I just kept feeling better and better,” Mike says. “Patients owe it to themselves to look at all their options.”
Patient name has been changed to protect his privacy.
May 21, 2009 - Sarasota, FL
As a health care practitioner, Trina Hammack knew the statistics. So when she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, she knew her prognosis was bleak. Fortunately, Hammack was familiar with a clinic in Mexico offering effective new treatments for ovarian cancer. According to TMD Unlimited, a medical tourism corporation, thousands of Americans diagnosed with cancer will travel to Mexico for cutting edge alternative treatments.
Hammack owns Cornerstone Wellness Center in Monterey, California. Last year, she was feeling fatigued, and her waistbands were getting tight. “I just felt something was wrong, so I made an appointment with my GYN,” she said. Her doctor did an ultrasound and told her he suspected she had ovarian cancer and referred her to an oncologist. Standard tests for ovarian cancer are a pelvic exam, a blood test for the CA-125 tumor marker, ultrasound and a biopsy of tissue and fluid samples.
In 2009, over 21,000 women will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer, and nearly 15,000 of them will die. According to the National Institutes of Health, ovarian cancer is the fifth leading cause of cancer deaths in women, and is known medically as ‘the silent killer’ because there are often no symptoms and the disease is not discovered until the cancer has spread.
The ovaries are almond-sized organs that produce the hormones estrogen and progesterone and they release eggs during the monthly cycle. After menopause, the ovaries stop releasing eggs and make fewer hormones. Symptoms of ovarian cancer may include abdominal or pelvic pain or pressure, sudden bloating, nausea and indigestion, gas, fatigue, constipation and diarrhea or there may be no symptoms at all. Risk factors are a family history of breast or ovarian cancer, being over 55 years of age, never bearing children and taking estrogen therapy for over 10 years.
Over the years, when Hammack’s own clients were diagnosed with cancer, she sent them to Baja’s Hope4Cancer Institute. She had met Hope4Cancer’s medical director, Dr. Antonio Jimenez, at a medical conference, and they discussed natural cancer treatments. Impressed with his knowledge and compassion, she had always said that if she were ever diagnosed, she would call him immediately.
“My tumor was the size of a melon. Dr. Jimenez was the first call I made. Dr. Jimenez recommended that I have the tumor removed, and then send him my reports, which I did.” Hammack says. “My oncologist wanted me to do surgery and chemotherapy. Dr. Jimenez recommended SonoPhoto Dynamic Therapy (SPDT), his Rapha-EL cancer vaccine, Poly MVA, Immunocare and his Total Health Program. Soon after my surgery, I headed for Mexico and met with Dr. Jimenez.”
Hammack knew the side effects of chemo and radiation. These conventional treatments would mean being thrown into early menopause, hair loss, infections, bleeding, vomiting, diarrhea, mouth sores, risk of intestinal blockage, lymphadema, depression and shortness of breath. She’d seen friends undergo these treatments and knew she would never subject herself to those brutal side effects.
“I began the SonoPhoto treatments and during the first few weeks watched my CA 125 plummet ,” Hammack said. “All of my doctors were monitoring my lab reports and CT scans, and with each report the news was better and better. The cancer is completely gone.”
SPDT is available in only a few facilities world wide. Dr. Jimenez trained with Ireland’s Dr. Tom Cleary, who was internationally known for his work with SonoPhoto Dynamic Therapy, and with Dr. Donald Burke, researcher and professor at Harvard University. Dr. Jimenez uses a non-toxic sensitizing agent. Once absorbed into the body, this natural compound attaches itself only to cancer cells. Next, sound and light frequencies are pulsed through the body, which causes photosynthesis of the sensitizing agent, and that process explodes oxygen into the cancer cells and destroys them. The treatment is painless, non-invasive and free of side effects when used as directed.
According to Dr. Jimenez, SPDT produces excellent results in several types of cancer. “We use this treatment on ovarian cancer because it works quickly to stop the spread of cancer to other organs and eliminates stray cancer cells in the body. If tumors are large, I sometimes recommend having the tumor removed surgically first, followed by SPDT instead of conventional treatments,” Jimenez explained. “Patients with smaller tumors often choose to forego surgery and just do SPDT along with other natural treatments we offer instead of any conventional treatment. We use SPDT on liver and pancreatic cancers, bone, stomach, breast, lung and prostate cancer.”
Hammack is still cancer free. “I am staying on the Hope4Cancer maintenance program, and continue to enjoy good health. And I still send my own clients to Hope4Cancer whenever they present with a serious disease,” Hammack says. “I am living proof that there are natural treatments out there that really do work.”
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