In this first post of a series, I will be discussing some really important supplements to consider using. When I started on my healing journey I learned about 100s of different supplements recommended to treat cancer. It was overwhelming.
I was so scared of the cancer coming back that I took a “shotgun approach” to healing by taking every supplement that people recommended or used. At one point I was taking 40+ capsules and tablets a day of all kinds of supplements! In fact, I was eating more supplements than food and this was not healthy and was making me sick. Not only that, but it cost me a fortune! Please don’t do this.
We want a more targeted approach to heal our bodies and prevent the cancer from coming back. The supplements I will be discussing in these posts are known to help with uterine, also called endometrial, cancer and its particular driver genes and signaling pathways. Many of these supplements cover multiple pathways and targets, making them even more beneficial.
If you haven’t read this POST on cancer driver genes and signaling pathways, do that first.
WHY TAKE HERBAL SUPPLEMENTS?
Herbal supplements have been used in traditional medicine for centuries for numerous diseases including cancer. These herbs contain bioactive compounds that can modulate cancer signaling pathways and molecules that are involved in apoptosis, tumor growth and metastasis.
Many of these herbs have anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant and even anti-microbial properties as well to help heal our bodies.
Certain herbs can also enhance the effectiveness of chemotherapy, radiation and other treatments for uterine cancer and reduce side effects.
CURCUMIN
Curcumin is a spice from India, derived from the root of the turmeric plant (Curcuma longa).
Curcumin has scientifically proven anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant and anti-cancer properties.
ANTI-CANCER BENEFITS
- This spice targets the p53, MAPK/ERK, Wnt/β-Catenin and PI3K/Akt signaling pathways that are very commonly dysregulated in uterine cancer. It also interacts with several genes and molecules such as EGFR, VEGF, KRAS and more.
- Through these interactions, curcumin is able to inhibit tumor cell proliferation, induce apoptosis of cancer cells and prevent migration and metastasis. It also down regulates certain proteins that are involved with cancer cell invasion.
- It may suppress angiogenesis, the formation of new blood vessels by the tumor.
- In several studies they found that curcumin enhanced the effectiveness of chemotherapy by making the cancer cells more sensitive to the chemo drugs and preventing resistance.
- Curcumin scavenges reactive oxygen species, which cause cellular damage and promote proliferation of cancer cells.
OTHER HEALTH BENEFITS OF CURCUMIN
As if that wasn’t enough, here are some more benefits of this amazing spice.
DIABETES – improves insulin sensitivity, lowers blood sugar and reduces inflammation in fat cells, improving metabolic function. Diabetes, insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome are some of the main drivers of uterine cancer, so this is an important benefit of taking curcumin. Read More
BRAIN HEALTH – Curcumin may be protective against conditions like Alzheimers and Parkinson’s disease, by helping prevent the accumulation of amyloid plaques in the brain. It has been shown to increase brain-derived neurotrophic factor, a protein that supports the growth and survival of neurons. Read More
HEART HEALTH – Studies have shown that curcumin can lower blood pressure, improve cholesterol levels, (by reducing LDL and triglycerides) and reduce inflammation. It also improves endothelial function (the endothelium is the lining of the blood vessels), which helps control blood pressure and blood clotting. Lastly, it can help reduce the oxidation of LDL cholesterol, which is a major factor in the development of atherosclerotic plaque build-up in arteries. Read More
PAIN RELIEF – Curcumin has known anti-inflammatory properties. It inhibits the production of inflammatory mediators like prostaglandins and cytokines. In fact, studies have shown curcumin to be as effective as NSAIDS (non-steroidal anti-inflammatories), like Ibuprofen and Celebrex for relieving pain with less side effects. Read More
GUT HEALTH – Curcumin can reduce inflammation in the gut and improve digestion promoting the growth of beneficial bacteria. This is so important when it comes to healing from cancer and preventing recurrence. It can also change the composition of the gut microbiome to correct obesity. Read More
SCIENTIFIC REFERENCES
- Adjuvant therapy with bioavailability-boosted curcuminoids suppresses systemic inflammation and improves quality of life in patients with solid tumors: a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial Read More
- Curcumin suppresses migration and invasion of human endometrial carcinoma cells Read More
- Therapeutic role of curcumin and its novel formulations in gynecological cancers Read More
- Curcumin and Cancer Cells: How Many Ways Can Curry Kill Tumor Cells Selectively? Read More
HOW TO TAKE CURCUMIN
Unfortunately, there is one downside to curcumin. It has limited bioavailability when taken orally. It is not water soluble so it has low absorption in the stomach. It is also chemically unstable and is rapidly metabolized in the liver and eliminated in the bile.
To counteract this, they have developed formulations with better absorption. Theracurmin appears to be the most bioavailable form.
It is best if you take curcumin with a fatty meal to increase absorption.
I take 600mg of Theracurmin 2 times per day.
MELATONIN
Melatonin is a naturally occurring hormone produced and secreted by the pineal gland in the brain, mainly during the night. However, a lot of melatonin production occurs in the gut as well. Another reason why the gut microbiome and gut health is so important. Make sure to read my post about that here.
ANTI-CANCER EFFECTS OF MELATONIN
- It is a potent anti-oxidant and also anti-inflammatory. Chronic inflammation is a key factor in the development of uterine cancer. Melatonin can down regulate many inflammatory cytokines like TNF-⍺ and IL-6 and suppress the activity of COX-2, which is often upregulated in cancer cells.
- Melatonin regulates the production of estradiol. Higher than average levels of estradiol (a form of estrogen) increase the risk of endometrial cancer. It also reduces the expression of estrogen receptors in endometrial cancer cells, thereby suppressing tumor growth.
- Melatonin significantly reduces the activity of the MAPK/ERK signaling pathway. This pathway is often activated via mutations in the KRAS oncogene. If left unchecked, this leads to increased proliferation signals to the cancer cells and more aggressive tumors.
- It induces apoptosis, the programmed cell death of cancer cells
- It has anti-angiogenic effects, preventing tumors from forming new blood vessels and growing larger
- It modulates the immune system, preventing cancer cells from evading destruction by the immune cells
- Melatonin can help cancer treatments like radiation and chemotherapy work better and prevent toxic side effects. In this study they showed that 20mg of Melatonin once a day significantly improved complete and partial responses and one year survival for several cancer types. It also dramatically decreased the side effects of treatments. Read More
- It has anti-metastatic effects and prevents epithelial to mesenchymal transformation (EMT). This is really important because EMT is a way in which tumor cells can develop stem cell properties and become more aggressive. This leads to metastasis and resistance to treatments. Read More
- Endometrial cancer cells are known to have increased aerobic glycolysis, often called the Warburg Effect. It means cancer cells have enhanced glucose uptake and lactate production, leading to a rapid energy supply to support tumor growth. Melatonin is a natural glycolytic, which means it inhibits aerobic glycolysis and reprograms glucose metabolism converting diseased cells into healthy cells. Read More
- Melatonin may also play a role in inhibiting the glutamine metabolism pathway preventing cancer cells from using glutamine as another fuel source.
- This is an old study, but very relevant information. They looked at 643 patients with solid tumors. Supplementing with melatonin significantly reduced the risk of death at 1 year by 34%! Read More
Like curcumin, melatonin has so many other benefits to our health with little to no adverse side effects that there really is no reason you shouldn’t want to supplement this every day! Read More
IMPORTANT FACTS ABOUT MELATONIN
- Light exposure suppresses the production of melatonin. This is a problem in today’s society where we spend so much time indoors in front of TVs and computer screens and there is significant light pollution at night. Our melatonin production is lowered.
- Make sure your bedroom is very dark at night and try not to have any blue light devices in your room (phones, tvs, computers). You should also limit exposure to blue light devices several hours before bed if possible.
- Melatonin levels decline as we age. This is why it is so important to supplement this essential hormone. It has now been shown that people with Alzheimers sleep better and have less “sundowners syndrome” when they are given melatonin.
- Caffeine can suppress the production of melatonin. Make sure to avoid caffeine within 12 hours of going to bed.
- For the best-anti-cancer effects, you should take 20-120mg of Melatonin each night. I take 60-120mg of this brand of Melatonin each night.
- High doses of melatonin at the time of CT scans can reduce the effects of the radiation. The recommended guideline is 300mg of Melatonin 2 hours before the scan.
GREEN TEA
Green tea is very rich in polyphenols. Polyphenols are a class of chemical compounds found in plants that have anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Catechins are a type of polyphenol and the most potent catechin in green tea is epigallocatechin gallate, called EGCG for short.
EGCG has shown the ability to influence several cellular pathways involved in cancer development and progression.
ANTI-CANCER PROPERTIES OF EGCG
- EGCG helps scavenge reactive oxygen species (ROS) and inhibits oxidative stress, which is a key factor in cancer formation and progression.
- It inhibits tumor cell proliferation by affecting the PI3K/Akt/mTOR and MAPK/ERK pathways, which are involved in cell survival, growth and metastasis. Read More
- It induces apoptosis of cancer cells through various mechanisms, including suppressing the anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2. This means more cancer cell death!
- EGCG inhibits angiogenesis (the formation of new blood vessels by the tumor), by reducing levels of VEGF. This is a protein that is often elevated in endometrial cancer patients and targeted with toxic drugs. Wouldn’t it be better to reduce this protein naturally with no side effects?
- It inhibits metastasis by reducing the ability of cancer cells to migrate and invade surrounding tissues.
- EGCG has been found to inhibit the expression and activation of estrogen receptors, which could block the estrogen-driven proliferation of endometrial cancer cells.
- It blocks an important enzyme in the glutamine metabolism pathway so tumors can’t utilize glutamine (an abundant amino acid in our bodies) for fuel to grow.
- Aromatase is an enzyme that converts androgens (male sex hormones) into estrogens. It is also involved in the local production of estrogen in tissues. EGCG may suppress aromatase activity, thus reducing estrogen production and its effects on tumor growth. Aromatase inhibitor drugs often have very toxic side effects.
- As with curcumin, EGCG has an anti-inflammatory effect by down regulating inflammatory cytokines like TNF-⍺, IL-6 and IL1β. Inflammation can drive tumor growth and metastasis so inhibiting this can help suppress cancer progression.
- P53 is a tumor suppressor protein that is often inactivated in endometrial cancer. EGCG can reactivate p53, which helps in controlling cell cycle progression and inducing apoptosis of damaged and cancerous cells.
An interesting study: Therapeutic potential of a novel prodrug of green tea extract in induction of apoptosis via ERK/JNK and Akt signaling pathway in human endometrial cancer. Read More
OTHER HEALTH BENEFITS OF GREEN TEA
Other known benefits of green tea and green tea extracts, especially EGCG include weight loss, protecting against heart disease, improved insulin sensitivity, lowering blood glucose and even protecting the skin from UV light induced skin damage.
Green tea also has an amino acid called L-theanine, which can improve mood and focus and has an overall calming effect.
Some studies have even linked green tea to a longer lifespan and who doesn’t want that?! Read More
SUPPLEMENTING WITH GREEN TEA
There are many ways to get the benefits of green tea. The easiest is to make a nice hot cup of green tea and drink 2-3 cups every day! Ideally you want a high quality organic tea.
- MATCHA – is a powdered form of green tea made from the whole leaf and contains the highest concentrations of EGCG of all the green tea types. In fact, it may contain up to 3x more EGCG than regular green tea. A typical serving of matcha is 70-150mg of EGCG.
- GYOKURO and SENCHA green teas also contain high levels of EGCG, but not as high as matcha.
- For best results, steep the tea in water that is 160-180℉ (not boiling), for 2-3 minutes. Steeping for too long or using boiling water can degrade the delicate catechins.
- GREEN TEA EXTRACT can be taken as a supplement with more potent levels of EGCG. A typical dose is 250-500mg. Avoid really high doses as this may be linked to liver toxicity.
- DARK CHOCOLATE also contains EGCG, another reason for chocolate! Make sure it is high quality, dark cacao (70% or higher content) with no added sugars. Stevia, allulose and erythritol are safer sugar substitutes.
- Remember, green tea does contain caffeine so try to limit the amount of caffeine you consume, especially before bed.
- This is the product I use every day and it tastes really good! Numi Organic Tea Gunpowder Green
ONE THING YOU CAN DO TODAY TO HELP YOU ON YOUR HEALING JOURNEY
Today I want to encourage you to create a monthly budget for vitamins, minerals and supplements that you will be able to afford and stick with. I did not do this and I regret it.
Cancer can be a huge strain financially. It is so important not to create more stress by spending money you don’t have or wracking up credit card debt to pay for supplements. I did this. I had no plan and no budget going into it and no one to advise me. So I started taking anything and everything that people said cured cancer and I spent $1000s of dollars on supplements, many of which wound up in the trash.
Start with the basic vitamins, minerals and supplements I am discussing in these blog posts and keep things simple. Try to find high quality supplements and only buy what you need, don’t buy in bulk. You may find something doesn’t work for you or makes you feel sick and then all the extra is wasted money. Trust me on this one, I am speaking from experience!
Shop around to find if there are better deals on the supplements you want to buy. Sometimes they are really marked up on certain websites and it might be better to buy it straight from the manufacturer. Look for sales. Ask if someone you know may have extra vitamins or supplements they don’t use anymore. Make sure they are good quality and not expired
I really hope you will take this step, it could save you a lot of money!
Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved: for Thou art my praise. Jeremiah 17:14