AUSTRALIAN NATUROPATHIC NETWORK
 Serving the community since 1998

Bowel Cancer has become the scourge of the ‘90’s. Its incidence is increasing. Bowel cancer now rates as one of the commonest of all cancers.

While a familial tendency strongly exists (giving other family members a 1 in 6 chance of contracting it without preventative action), non-familial bowel cancer is now rated a startling 1 in 60 proposition for those with no family history.

It arises from adenomatous polyposis coli or non-polyposis causes. The incidence of both types seems to be polygenic and multi-factorial – exhibiting family clusters as well as high socio-economic standards. (1 p 61)

KNOWN RISK FACTORS (2)

Here’s where the empiricism stops and intuition commences.

You see, data only records WHAT is happening. Explaining it is another kettle of fish.

So, why not look at the risk factors and analyse them?

• Why do people in Japan have the world’s highest incidence of G.I.T. cancer – AND YET THE LOWEST INCIDENCE OF BREAST AND PROSTATE CANCERS?
• Why did a whole generation of Finnish people have nil incidence of breast and stomach/colon/rectal cancer. (H. Adlercreutz, Uni. Of Helsinki, circa May 1988)
• Why a higher incidence in higher socio-economic societies.
• What are the other physiological causes for the pathology?

It is possible that the last question might provide the best clue.

Not mentioned in some standard texts, but lurking in a set of college Anatomy lecture notes (3) is a reference to a particular feature of the gross anatomy of the Large Intestine called the "appendices epiploicae – very small pouches of visceral peritoneum filled with fat".

This interesting anatomy could relate very much to carcinogens in drinking water – as well as in certain foods – if the following reasoning holds true.

• There are many fat-soluble additives with low water solubility– preservatives, parasiticides, pesticides, hormone additives etc – which are added by man in the preparation of food and in the growing of animals and crops.
• Many of these are known or suspected carcinogens – in large doses - but supposedly harmless in small doses.
• The presence of preservatives in prepared foods such as bread and sausages, the pesticides in crops, the insecticides in fruit, the multiplicity of agents such as sex and growth hormones and tetracyclines used in farming beef, pork and chickens- plus whatever they are fed when intensively farmed – are all well known
• The high content of toxic trans fatty acids present in margarine is often overlooked.
• (Trans fatty acids alter the shape of cell-membrane fats, rendering them unsuitable for many normal biological processes. Additionally, they are a direct cause of L.D.L. forms of cholesterol).
• Reputedly there are over 50 homogenised chemicals in the product still known as milk (and that’s after the intensively-farmed cows have been fed goodness knows what, apart from grass)
• Reputedly 150 or so chemicals are ingested actively - or passively - from exhaled cigarette smoke.
• Many commercial orange juices are little more that a plastic bottle filled with a solution of chemicals, water and dyed an orange colour.
• Plastic bottles and wrapping slowly leach more bi-phasic (ambiphilic) toxins into solution - both in prepared foods and drinks.
• Artificial fertilisers, pesticides and herbicides finding their way into town drinking water, as run-off from farms (also contributing to erosion, the silting up of rivers, fish and river-animal kills and eventually dead river systems).
• Water treatment works’ chlorination of these entities makes them substantially more toxic.
• Such chemical pollutants have been collectively referred to as "petrochemical pollutants".

However, what if these artificial, lipid-soluble substances would concentrate in the permanent fat - contained in the appendices epiploicae (and other places) - over time? It is a fact that – when a certain critical concentration of this accumulate is reached - it crosses the trigger threshold (called the "Threshold of Liability") – which is a concentration required to activate the polygenic multi-factorial, carcinogenic time bomb. (1, p61).

The upshot of this would be intensely irritated tissue leading to polyp formation.

In fact, this does occur and is due to the fact that the petroleum products mentioned above have an

Irritant effect on tissue. One effect is the well-known free radical attack on lipo-proteins contained in cell membranes and elsewhere. The second is a much lesser known oestrogenic effect. This causes abnormally rapid reproduction of mucous membrane cells – and immature cells at that. This is a recipe for neoplastic formation – which eventually happens.

That means that it is the job of the community health team to both educate its customers in how to overcome the toxic effect of these substances and/or help prevent their ingestion. I MEAN, IF HELPING IMPROVE PUBLIC HEALTH AND ASSISTING IN THE FIGHT AGAINST CANCER ISN’T OUR MAIN CONCERN, THEN WHY BOTHER TURNING UP FOR WORK?

As far as education is concerned, there appears to be a strong case here for pharmacy to become directly involved in advising patients and customers on the benefits of pursuing non-contaminated food.

Workplace accident prevention officers have access to a dossier of suspect chemicals, harmful to humans. Let’s think about being agents for the wider distribution of this list. And while we’re about it, why not demand that the health authorities raise the crossbar and insist on the declaration of pesticide types and levels appearing in all fresh food (as – I believe – happens in Europe)?

In the meantime there are a number of "givens" that you can actively – and authoritatively – promote.

• Advise people to minimise their exposure to such polluting toxins by the avoidance of such foods.
• To clarify this, Official Pharmacy should demand that all foods be graded in accordance with pesticide (and other toxin) levels contained (as mentioned).
• Similarly, the current town water supplies should be graded according to their own levels of the various toxic pollutants.
• Advise the use of reverse-osmosis water filters (the most efficient way of removing water-soluble, chlorinated hydrocarbons.

POSITIVE ACTION:

• To minimise the effect of these free radicals etc., the regular use of antioxidants, soluble fibre and un-tampered sources of cis-fatty acids (such as "clean" butter and vegetable oils, oily ocean-grown fish and some food oils – such as linseed oil etc.) would be a good place to start. (Intensively farmed fish are filled with just as many toxins as the above examples and – until assurances can be given that their levels of toxic residual is insignificant – should be avoided).

• Not only that, but also regular ingestion of certain foods, such as those prepared from soy beans and rye (4) have been shown to dramatically reduce the incidence of the cancers of the bowel, breast and prostate – and other – types (referred to by Adlercreutz as "hormonic cancers").

• But most immediately – the very best thing that you can do for your at-risk customer (and they’ll have to decide on their risk) is to recommend a suitable bitter digestive stimulant, such as Mist Gent Alk or Acid.

Additionally, you might advise them to supplement with concentrated soy or rye preparations (e.g. Phyto-soy & Oralmat).

(The soy and rye products, on analysis, contain phyto-oestrogens which are presently coming into commercial prominence– although researchers have known of them for over a decade (4).

(Briefly, these protect the oestrogenic receptors – present in all tissue – from being activated by the various hydrocarbons emanating from the plethora of petroleum - AND OTHER PLASTIC - products (including pesticides etc) now commonly appearing in our food chain).

As these concentrate in the appendices, epiploica. – and perhaps other permanent fat-beds in the body (as discussed)- phyto-oestrogens (also largely fat-soluble) would also concentrate here, negating their effect to a large extent.

So, phyto-oestrogenic preparations will come into prominence as great inhibitors of polyp-formation – and other hormonic cancers.

What else cuts down on the chances of fat-soluble irritants accumulating?

It is a fact that bitters, such as Gentian, stimulate the vagus nerve reflex (activated by bitter receptors at the back of the tongue) to secrete digestive juices. As a result, digestive enzymes such as Cholecystokinase and hormones like Inhibin - stimulated in this process - induce satiety and bile production. This reflex therefore both prevents over-eating the at-risk food and HELPS EMULSIFY and digest FATS which store the irritants.

(Interestingly, a high-fat, sweet food - like the buns used by major hamburger chains - have the opposite effect. Not only that, but the current observation is that a commonly-available cooked cheese-bun will have a self-preserving ability of some months. This would indicate a high level of preservative – again an undesirable element in the proposed food model).

Could it be then that this humble herb, Gentian - that pharmacy used to routinely provide to its customers – could hold the key to helping to reduce the incidence of cancers of the bowel and rectum?

Let’s take a closer look at Gentian.

i) DIGESTION. Mist Gent Alk. is a USEFUL mixture - commonly prescribed up to the seventies era - which has been abandoned by pharmacy AND MEDICINE. It was once the first mixture of choice for any disorders relating to the digestive tract or indirectly attributable to its malfunction.

More complete digestion induced by this herb should help reduce the incidence of food allergy and in that way help arrest the alarming rise in incidence of immune disease syndromes (many of which may be fundamentally related to food allergy).

The problem is that Mist. Gent. Alk. NEEDS TO BE MADE FRESH. So, unfortunately for them, supermarkets will probably never be able to compete with the practice of Pharmacy on this issues – and others like it. There is also a little job satisfaction in making it and you are even financially rewarded for your efforts for a change.

I’m sure that a little lobbying might also see it back on the P.B.S. if there was enough interest from our profession. (I’d be happy with that – provided the extemp. fee was increased to reflect the skills and knowledge involved).

Gastric HCL is also stimulated by Gentian. We know that a steadily-increasing percentage of people (around 40% as we write) are now hypochlorhydric. This further complicates mal digestion and exacerbates food allergy. In such cases, the Mist Gent. Acid may be indicated.

(There is a school of thought that says that the problem with hypochlorhydria is that too little HCl à  fermentation of undigested products (by many flora – INCLUDING HELICOBACTER and yeast) à  irritant fermentation products à  more carcinogens and the likelihood of GASTRIC DISTRESS à  ULCERS à  the prescribing of HCl-reducing agents à  further fermentation…).

Peroxidated fats (lipid peroxides – "free radicals") are known to induce cell death, increase likelihood of mutant genes and hence are a major risk-factor in cancer.

We have see how the appendices eplipoicae will concentrate undigested fats. Ergo, the accumulation of undigested and non-emulsified fats in these areas will promote derangement of normal cells in the bowel (and rectum) which may ultimately lead to the formation of localised cancer cells.

Gentian induces bile flow and production of lipases, which will digest and emulsify the peroxidated fats and prevent them from accumulating in the fatty structures of the bowel.

The peroxides themselves will then be attacked by taurine ( a common sulphurated amino acid and a principal component of bile) and reduced to non-toxic moieties.

So it may be concluded that Gentian is a critical tool in prevention of bowel cell derangement and in fact SHOULD be used on a regular basis by ALL members of society as ONE WAY of helping to prevent the scourge of Colon and Rectal cancer.

WORMS

All classes of worms respond to Gentian. While there are stronger vermifuges (Artemisia absinthium is one such herb – and another one of interest due to the current research on anti-malarials being conducted on some of its constituents) it is clear that regular use of any vermifuge will prevent infestation of worms from developing.

It is possible that worm infestation is another cause of cell derangement. They are certainly a threat to general health in a number of ways. Presently there is no orthodox strategy in place for the regular prevention of worm infestation and the current popular treatments all leave something to be desired – either in the growing tolerance of worms to anthelmintic pharmaceuticals (clinical observation) or the side-effects of the current pharmaceuticals (well documented).

PRURITIS AND ECZEMA

Chinese literature refers to the use of Gentian in the treatment of these complaints. Western herbalists have long used hepatic herbs (such as Gentian) to treat most skin conditions where it is believed that liver toxicity or poor digestion/elimination are possible underlying causes. Additionally, gentian is seen as a "cooling" herb – presumably for the reason that having been detoxified, the inflammatory process is no longer invoked by the homoeostatic response.

We have addressed all questions except – why the higher incidence of stomach and prostate cancer in Japanese, while their general life expectancy is so much higher that the rest of the world – AND where menopausal illness is almost unknown?

There is one characteristic of the Japanese food shops that is unique. That is their classification into 4 grades. It has been said that the cooking oils are passed down to each grade of shop successively – for re-cycling purposes.

If that is the case, then the oils used by the 4’th grade shops will have been subjected to much free-radical attack. (Oxygen under hat will combine with unsaturated oils and easily form free radicals. So, unless all the oxygen has been destroyed – e.g. by use of an open fire – then the customers of grade 4 restaurants will be continually subjected to free-radical attack.

This would explain the higher rate of G.I.T. cancers and contribute to prostatic cancers (free radicals appearing in sperm lipo-protein and lubricant fatty acids).

SUMMARY

We have discussed:

• Advising the use of organic food.
• Supplementing with pure oils.
• Supplementing with Soy or Rye pharmaceuticals (such as Phytosoy etc. or Oralmat)
• Taking mist. Gent. Alk. On a regular basis

References

1. Heuther,S.E. & McCance, K.L., Understanding Pathophysiology, 1996,. Louis: Mosby.

2. Haubrich,W. Sehafner,F. & Berke,J.E. (1995). Bockus Gastroenterology (5’th Ed’n.). Philadelphia: W.B. Saunders.

3. Naturecare College of Naturopathic and Traditional Medicine, S’t. Leonards: Anatomy and Physiology, 1B. Lecture Notes for Students 1997. P79

4. Adlercreutz, Hermann et al, University of Helsinki, Colorectal and other cancers (table…urinary excretion of lignans and isoflavanoids…in urban Finnish and Japanese men) 1993c.

5. John Archer,The Water You Drink, 1996, Pearl Beach, Pure Water Press.