Guest guest Posted May 28, 2009 Report Share Posted May 28, 2009 This is a good constructive read for someone with brain cancer http://www.amazon.co.uk/Anticancer-New-Life--Servan-Schreiber/dp/0718154290 Helen Glioma Dear All I have a young lad of 22 coming to see me, diagnosed with a glioma in the brainstem discovered while having a brainscan for drug testing. The only treatment he has been offered is radiotherapy but he would rather avoid this. He is otherwise healthy, but did mention a prior blow to the head in this area, I am not sure how long ago. He has been advised that he may have had the glioma for some time. He notices head pains on first getting up in the morning and also has slight visual disturbances. I was thinking first of anti-inflammatories and notice Boswellia has previously been indicated on this list for glioma. I was considering Turmeric and also Centella due to the past trauma. Would circulatory herbs such as ginkgo be indicated? He reports that his symptoms improve when he goes running. He is very keen to help himself and I understand has changed his diet dramatically under the guidance of a nutritionist. Are herbs likely to make an impact on this condition? I feel somewhat out of my depth with this one and would appreciate any advice. Many thanks Verity Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 29, 2009 Report Share Posted May 29, 2009 Hi Verity, Herbs can really help with glioma, but I have only ever used them in conjunction with radiotherapy and sometimes temozolomide (working together with the patient's oncologist). I always use Boswellia for glioma, as it has been shown to have anti-brain cancer activity as well as being an excellent LOX inhibitor. I always use a tablet, as in my opinion, it works better than the tincture, and you can use higher doses. The same for the turmeric. Other than that I tend to use cerebral circulatory stimulants such as Ginkgo or Bacopa, together with other anti-inflammatories such as Bupleurum and Glycyrrhiza. I also use immunostimulants such as Astragalus, Uncaria and Phytolacca, and adaptogens such as Withania. McLeod wrote a good article in the BJP 5(4), 199, with a case study on glioma. Best wishes, Chris Dr J Etheridge PhD MRSC MCPP CChem DoIC ARCS BSc(Hons) Chem BSc(Hons) Phyto Integrated Cancer Specialist Suite 7 22 Northumberland Avenue London WC2N 5AP T: 0 F: 0 E: info@... W: www.drchrisetheridge.co.uk <http://www.drchrisetheridge.co.uk/> J Etheridge PhD MCPP MRSC CChem DoIC ARCS BSc(Hons) Chem BSc(Hons) Phyto Medical Herbalist Cheshunt Clinic of Herbal Medicine 62 Roundmoor Drive Cheshunt Hertfordshire EN8 9HQ M: 0 E: info@... W: <http://www.drchrisetheridge.co.uk/> www.drchrisetheridge.co.uk _____ From: ukherbal-list [mailto:ukherbal-list ] On Behalf Of Verity Bradbury Sent: Thursday, May 28, 2009 5:19 PM To: ukherbal-list Subject: Glioma Dear All I have a young lad of 22 coming to see me, diagnosed with a glioma in the brainstem discovered while having a brainscan for drug testing. The only treatment he has been offered is radiotherapy but he would rather avoid this. He is otherwise healthy, but did mention a prior blow to the head in this area, I am not sure how long ago. He has been advised that he may have had the glioma for some time. He notices head pains on first getting up in the morning and also has slight visual disturbances. I was thinking first of anti-inflammatories and notice Boswellia has previously been indicated on this list for glioma. I was considering Turmeric and also Centella due to the past trauma. Would circulatory herbs such as ginkgo be indicated? He reports that his symptoms improve when he goes running. He is very keen to help himself and I understand has changed his diet dramatically under the guidance of a nutritionist. Are herbs likely to make an impact on this condition? I feel somewhat out of my depth with this one and would appreciate any advice. Many thanks Verity Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 29, 2009 Report Share Posted May 29, 2009 I have used the herbs you suggest. The Boswellia needs to be in a high dose - I use Mediherb pills for this. J Fidler, MCPP, (RH) AHG Herbalist ________________________________ To: ukherbal-list Sent: Thursday, May 28, 2009 12:27:16 PM Subject: Re: Glioma This is a good constructive read for someone with brain cancer http://www.amazon. co.uk/Anticancer -New-Life- -Servan- Schreiber/ dp/0718154290 Helen Glioma Dear All I have a young lad of 22 coming to see me, diagnosed with a glioma in the brainstem discovered while having a brainscan for drug testing. The only treatment he has been offered is radiotherapy but he would rather avoid this. He is otherwise healthy, but did mention a prior blow to the head in this area, I am not sure how long ago. He has been advised that he may have had the glioma for some time. He notices head pains on first getting up in the morning and also has slight visual disturbances. I was thinking first of anti-inflammatories and notice Boswellia has previously been indicated on this list for glioma. I was considering Turmeric and also Centella due to the past trauma. Would circulatory herbs such as ginkgo be indicated? He reports that his symptoms improve when he goes running. He is very keen to help himself and I understand has changed his diet dramatically under the guidance of a nutritionist. Are herbs likely to make an impact on this condition? I feel somewhat out of my depth with this one and would appreciate any advice. Many thanks Verity Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 31, 2009 Report Share Posted May 31, 2009 Hi, whilst reading up on artemisinin for one of my patients, I came across artemesinin being discussed for use with brain tumours several times.  It appears to be particularly effective as, being both fat and water soluble, it appears to be able to cross the blood-brain barrier well.  Synthetic analogues of artemisinin such as artemeter may be even more effective as it is more fat soluble, however, artemisinin is much easier to obtain and there is plenty of info on protocols. Good luck! Gursewa Harrad.  Dear All I have a young lad of 22 coming to see me, diagnosed with a glioma in the brainstem discovered while having a brainscan for drug testing. The only treatment he has been offered is radiotherapy but he would rather avoid this. He is otherwise healthy, but did mention a prior blow to the head in this area, I am not sure how long ago. He has been advised that he may have had the glioma for some time. He notices head pains on first getting up in the morning and also has slight visual disturbances. I was thinking first of anti-inflammatories and notice Boswellia has previously been indicated on this list for glioma. I was considering Turmeric and also Centella due to the past trauma. Would circulatory herbs such as ginkgo be indicated? He reports that his symptoms improve when he goes running. He is very keen to help himself and I understand has changed his diet dramatically under the guidance of a nutritionist. Are herbs likely to make an impact on this condition? I feel somewhat out of my depth with this one and would appreciate any advice. Many thanks Verity Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 1, 2009 Report Share Posted June 1, 2009 Sorry, that was meant to be not Helen! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 2, 2009 Report Share Posted June 2, 2009 Der Verity, As we know it is difficult for any medicines to pass the brain barriers. i have never treated any brain tumors. I found this article on the itnernet and your patient may consider this approach which seems a better option than Chemo. Best of luck Iria *Glioma Brain Tumors* *(Content updated June 2008)* For years, researchers puzzled over an aggressive form of brain cancer. The lethal glioma tumors often outsmart traditional cancer treatments such as surgery, and quickly invade healthy brain tissue. But now an understanding of the biological makeup and survival mechanisms of glioma tumors is helping researchers develop methods that they hope will kill the cancer. Brain tumors always have been one of the most devastating diseases because they are so difficult to treat, much less cure. But now scientists are on track toward finding what may be definitive treatments for the most virulent of these tumors. Most brain tumors develop from cancerous glial cells and are called gliomas. Unlike other cancers, glioma tumors grow in the confined space inside the head. In order to grow, most cancers push healthy cells aside, but due to space constraints, glioma tumors must destroy normal brain cells. To kill healthy nerve cells, glioma tumors release large quantities of the neurotransmitter glutamate. Excess glutamate is toxic to neurons and causes seizures in up to 80% of people with gliomas. Depending on the tumor's size and location, other symptoms include paralysis, behavior changes and dizziness. A glioma tumor is particularly damaging because it tends to quickly sprout and spread within the brain. Each year, approximately 18,000 Americans find out that they have a glioma. Many die within 12 months. Researchers have come closer to improving these odds by examining the biology of glioma tumors in animals and humans. Studies are uncovering the cancer's unique characteristics, including the mechanisms that help it survive and spread throughout the brain. The advances may help make the diagnosis less grim by leading to: - Therapies that prevent gliomas from harming healthy brain cells. - Methods that limit the spread of the cancer. - Treatments that block the tumor's life-sustaining molecules. Some scientists are devising therapies to limit the damage glioma tumors inflict on healthy brain cells. To release glutamate, glial cells must first import cystine, naturally formed from the fusion of two amino acids. The drug sulfasalazine, which is normally used to treat inflammation in the intestines, blocks cystine import and prevents glutamate release. Cystine is a precursor for glutathione, an antioxidant that may help glioma tumors survive chemotherapy. In animal studies, sulfasalazine reduced tumor size by over 80%. Clinical trials using sulfasalazine to treat gliomas in humans will begin soon. Other researchers are developing methods to inhibit glioma tumors from spreading throughout the brain. In order to expand, glioma cells break free by altering molecules that hold them in place (called extracellular matrix molecules), like the glioma-enriched protein BEHAB. To travel through the brain’s narrow spaces, glioma cells also undergo physical changes in size and shape, a process that involves ion channels like glioma chloride channels. Targeting these molecules with a toxin could not only wipe out the cancer cells and spare the healthy cells, but also could impede the cancer cells’ expansion. Scientists discovered that chlorotoxin, a molecule from the venom of the giant yellow Israeli scorpion, specifically blocks glioma chloride channels, preventing glioma tumor expansion. And linking a poison to chlorotoxin kills glioma tumor cells without affecting healthy cells, according to tests on animal models and in cells in a petri dish. A synthetic version of chlorotoxin (TM-601) is currently in clinical trials in people. On another front, researchers are examining how blood vessels link up with glioma tumors to nourish them. Many scientists believe that disrupting the union will starve the tumors to death. The protein, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), is one target under investigation (see illustration). Researchers recently used a gene therapy technique to interfere with VEGF's activity at specific binding areas. Glioma growth was inhibited by 90 to 95 percent in animal models. An early study of patients with other types of cancer is evaluating a small molecule that also appears to block VEGF activity. Neuroscientists believe the molecule may be a simple way to starve glioma tumors and are testing it in animal models. ------------------------------ A. Researchers believe one mechanism that allows blood vessels to offer a nourishing connection to the tumor involves VEGF. The protein, secreted by hungry tumor cells, attaches to binding sites on the normal blood vessel. The signaling attracts the vessels to the tumor. B. Strategies that interfere with the binding may cause the blood vessel cells to die. This starves the tumor, kills its cells and shrinks it. Illustration by Lydia Kibiuk, Copyright © 1998 Lydia Kibiuk > > > > Dear All > > I have a young lad of 22 coming to see me, diagnosed with a glioma in > the brainstem discovered while having a brainscan for drug testing. The > only treatment he has been offered is radiotherapy but he would rather > avoid this. He is otherwise healthy, but did mention a prior blow to the > head in this area, I am not sure how long ago. He has been advised that > he may have had the glioma for some time. He notices head pains on > first getting up in the morning and also has slight visual disturbances. > > I was thinking first of anti-inflammatories and notice Boswellia has > previously been indicated on this list for glioma. I was considering > Turmeric and also Centella due to the past trauma. Would circulatory > herbs such as ginkgo be indicated? He reports that his symptoms improve > when he goes running. He is very keen to help himself and I understand > has changed his diet dramatically under the guidance of a nutritionist. > > Are herbs likely to make an impact on this condition? I feel somewhat > out of my depth with this one and would appreciate any advice. > > Many thanks > Verity > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.