AN
INTRODUCTION TO ARTEMISININ AS CANCER PREVENTION
Artemisinin is now used successfully to treat some forms of cancer. I
highly recommend joining the group Artemisinin for Cancer if you are
fighting cancer in your dog/cat. The support you’ll find there is
amazing. There are some brilliant folks who offer advice and support
that will get you through these hard times.
artemisinin_and_cancer-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
However, if you have a dog that is healthy but you have concerns about
cancer because of the number of cases in your breed or a high incidence
of cancer in your lines, or any other reason, then you are encouraged to
participate in this informal group of people using Artemisinin for
prevention. Join us at:
Artemisinin-for-cancer-prevention-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
Do not use any of these supplements in dogs under the age of 2
years and do not use any supplements on lactating females or females
that are being bred.
Dr.
Henry Lai, at the University of Washington, one of the original
researchers who discovered the benefits of Arte in treating cancer,
recommends using Arte as a preventative. He takes it himself!
Artemisinin is derived from the sweet wormwood plant (Artemisia
annua L). Sweet wormwood has been used in herbal Chinese medicine for at
least 2,000 years, and is eaten in salads in some Asian countries.
Artemesia is a simple plant that grows in Southeast Asia; it has been
used it for years to treat intestinal parasites and the World Health
Organization recommends it as a safe malaria treatment.
“Malaria is a parasite (Plasmodium) that infects the iron-rich red
blood cell and accumulates iron. While the body avidly shields iron in a
bound-up state (hemoglobin, enzymes, etc.), excess iron accumulates in
the parasite, and the accumulation allows some iron to spill out of the
bound state and become free. When the Artemisinin products contact the
iron – boom! A huge burst of free radicals is unleashed, virtually
blowing up the cell harboring the free iron and destroying the
parasite,” writes Dr. Robert Jay Rowen in his article “Artemisinin and
Cancer.”
Its use in the treatment of cancer is credited to Drs. Henry Lai
and Narenda Singh, bio-engineering professors at the University of
Washington, who reported on the active agent of this Asian herb
(Artemisinin). They said the herb “might provide a safe, non-toxic, and
inexpensive alternative for cancer patients.”
Cancer cells have the highest concentration of iron in their cells
because they need that iron to stimulate growth, get a good blood supply
going and eventually kill the host! “Because they multiply so rapidly, most cancer cells need
more iron than normal cells to replicate DNA. To facilitate that, cancer
cells have inlets on their surface, known as transferrin receptors, in
greater numbers than other cells. Those receptors allow quick transport
into the cell of transferrin, an iron-carrying protein found in blood.
In creating the compound, researchers bound Artemisinin to transferrin
at the molecular level. The combination of the two ingredients appears
to fool the cancer cell.” http://www.news-medical.net/?id=7694
An
article appearing in Life Sciences in 2001 by Drs. Singh and Lai
at the University of Washington detailed the rapid and complete
destruction of a radiation-resistant breast cancer cell line in vitro.
The destruction occurred within 8 hours and had little effect on normal
cells.
Artemisinin has two semi-synthetic derivatives: Artesunate and
Artemether. A paper published in Oncology in 2001 described the
cytotoxic effects of Artesunate against a wide variety of cancers
including melanomas, breast, ovarian, leukemia and colon cancers. The
growth of all of these cancers was inhibited by 50%.
The
use of Artemisinin in preventing canine cancers was an idea discussed on
the Artemisinin For Cancer group. We had all used the Arte to treat
cancer, with varying degrees of success and with the assistance of Dr.
Lai and Singh. Because we did get a lot more time with our dogs—my
Leonberger, Jazzie, lived 13 months longer on this treatment—we thought
of using it to prevent the growth of cancer perhaps as it begins to form
at a cellular level.
Because cancer may not have formed, or may be in the earliest
undetectable stages of formation, using Arte daily is not necessary.
The idea is to use it periodically throughout the life of the dog on a
monthly basis to destroy the onset of cancer as the cells begin to
divide and grow before symptoms manifest the disease.
THE SUPPLEMENTS TO BUY
For
the purposes of prevention, it is suggested that we use two forms: the
pure Artemisinin available from Holley Pharmaceuticals in combination
with the powerful synthetic, Artesunate, available from WellCare
Pharmaceutical. You can get this mail order, and they are reasonably
priced. Far cheaper than treating an existing cancer!
The
source for the highest quality Arte used at Washington State University
is Holley Pharmaceuticals. Here is their website:
http://holleypharma.com/
A
source for Artesunate recommended by Dr. Singh is WellCare
Pharmaceutical Co.
www.hepalin.com
These supplements come in 50mg capsules; the Artemisinin comes in 100mg
capsules as well. These are the only two companies recommended because
their quality control and the products are pharmaceutical grade which
means 99% pure.
THE PROGRAM
Artemisinin and its derivatives cannot be absorbed consistently,
therefore, it is pulsed when treating cancer; for example, 5 days on and
7 days off. This program will begin with loading and turn into a
pulsing, 3 days on 27 days off. One of the members of the other group,
Dr. Monroe Brown, a veterinary researcher has come up with program that
I am now using on my dog and he has been using on his 5 dogs.
"Summary (Loading and Continuation Dosing):
7 days on (Artemisinin and artesunate)
7 days off (no usage)
7 days on (Artemisinin and artesunate)
21 days off
3 days on
27 days off
3 days on
27 days off
(Continue the "3 days on, 27 days off" as a maintenance regimen)"
Dr. Brown is taking Arte himself and has not seen any side effects
nor has he seen any side effects in his dogs.
DOSAGES
The amount to give is 1 to 3 mg per pound. I am using 1 mg per
pound for Abbie. I will increase that amount to 2mg per pound after a
few months.
Dr.
Brown suggests an evening dosing at 10:00 p.m. since cancer cells grow
faster at night.
No anti-oxidants should be given before using the
combination of Artemisinin and Artesunate because anti-oxidants destroy
free radicals in cells and it is the action of free radicals by
Artemisinin that destroys the cancer cells. Some anti-oxidants like
vitamin E have a long life in the body.
Since you have 7 days between the loading periods and 27 days a month
when you are not using the Arte, give whatever additional supplements
you wish during those “off” periods but avoid using them when using
Arte. Also avoid feeding liver since it is rich in iron, as is peanut
butter. Hey, my dogs always loved peanut butter!
Give the Arte/Artesunate
with some natural fat to enhance absorption.
Any iron present from residual food may neutralize the supplements;
therefore, no liver or other high iron foods should be fed for 6-8 hours
before the dose. Milk is one of the few foods with minimal iron. Whole
milk, cottage cheese or yogurt, contain ample fat to enhance absorption;
I use butter. The butter is used to wrap around the small capsules and
get those into Abbie who hates pills of any type!
Dr. Rowen tells his patients that cancer could be like the malaria
parasite. If just one cell remains, it can find its way back. “Thus, as
in malaria, although the parasite is cleared in a few days, prolonged
treatment best prevents relapse. And the beauty of this treatment is
that it is non-toxic, so you can continue taking it indefinitely with no
expected sided effects.”
INFORMATION IS IMPORTANT
Dr. Lai and Singh have been very good about sharing their expertise
with dog owners. They have only asked that we keep records and keep
them informed in return. The application of these forms of Artemisinin
in treating and in preventing cancer in dogs can be extrapolated back to
humans. That means, perhaps someday, taking simple capsules a few days
a month will prevent breast and prostate cancers.
Please stay with the group to post results. If you are using these
supplements, we need to know if any form of cancer develops. The
researchers are hard at work to find ways of more specifically targeting
cancer cells. We will keep you informed.
To
read more about the successes of using Arte in cancer treatment, Google
Artemisinin or visit these websites:
http://www.mwt.net/~drbrewer/canart1.htm
http://www.townsendletter.com/Dec2002/artemisinin1202.htm
http://www.drlam.com/opinion/artemisinin_study_abstracts.asp
http://www.drlam.com/articles/Artemisinin.asp?page=2
http://www.drlam.com/articles/Artemisinin.asp?page=3#4
http://www.rrpwebsite.org/index.cfm/fuseaction/category.display/category_ID/348/
Barbara Bouyet
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