Mesothelioma – The 3 Main Types

In general, mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer.  Different types of mesothelioma are distinguished between by where the cancer is growing.  Pleural mesothelioma, the most common, accounting for 75% of all mesothelioma cases, is where cancerous cells develop on the lining of the lungs.  The next most common form of mesothelioma is peritoneal mesothelioma and this is where cancerous cells grow on the peritoneum which is the lining of the abdomen.  Pericardial mesothelioma, the least common major form of mesothelioma, makes up roughly 5% of all mesothelioma cases.  This is where malignant cancer cells grow on the lining of the heart.

All three of these forms of mesothelioma are caused by asbestos.  Asbestos is a naturally occurring fibrous mineral that was discovered around the 1860s.  Due to its highly useful property of being fireproof, asbestos was used greatly in construction in the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s.  It was not until the early 1960s when the severe health hazards that asbestos causes were discovered, that asbestos stopped being used.  When exposed to asbestos with insufficient protection a person will breathe in tiny asbestos fibres which are suspended in the air.  These fibres pass into the respiratory system until they become lodged in the lining of the lungs.  Over time, an accumulation of these asbestos fibres in the lungs can cause pleural mesothelioma.  Asbestos fibres may also pass into the lymphatic system and be transported to either the lining of the abdomen or the tissue surrounding the heart.  This may cause either peritoneal mesothelioma or pericardial mesothelioma.

In terms of symptoms, the three main types of mesothelioma have some symptoms in common with each other.  These symptoms are usual of all three types: chest pain, shortness of breath, coughing, coughing up blood, vomiting, nausea, weight loss and loss of appetite.  An additional symptom of pericardial mesothelioma is palpitations. 

There are a few treatments for all types of mesothelioma but none of these have a high success rate.  The effectiveness of the treatment depends on how early and how aggressively the cancer is treated.  If the cancerous cells are treated when they have fully matured and developed then it is unlikely that treatment methods will be successful.  Treatment methods include chemotherapy which is the use of drugs to kill the cancer, radiation therapy which uses a radiation dosage to kill off cancerous cells and surgery which attempts to gain long term control over the cancer by removing a large portion of malignant cells.  These treatment methods can be combined in the form of dual therapy.

All Pericardial Mesothelioma Information FAQ

What is pericardial mesothelioma?

Pericardial mesothelioma is a serious heart condition which consists of cancerous cells building up on the lining of the heart.  Similarly to pleural and peritoneal mesothelioma, this is a terminal illness due to the importance of the area on which it grows.

What causes pericardial mesothelioma and who are most at risk?

The primary cause of pericardial mesothelioma is exposure to asbestos dust and fibres.  Therefore those at risk are those who are most likely to have inhaled these deadly fibres such as construction workers and asbestos manufacturers.  Those in contact with these people also have a chance of getting pericardial mesothelioma because these people may have asbestos fibres stuck to their clothes or hair.

What are the symptoms of pericardial mesothelioma?

The symptoms of pericardial mesothelioma change from patient to patient.  Usual symptoms include persistent coughing, coughing up blood, shortness of breath, chest pain and palpitations.  Other symptoms patients may experience are nausea, weight loss, vomiting and loss of appetite.

What are the treatments available for pericardial mesothelioma?

There are various different treatments for pericardial mesothelioma although none of these have a high success rate.  Chemotherapy, radiation therapy, dual therapy and surgery are the treatment methods available.  Chemotherapy includes using drugs to kill off cancerous cells and radiation therapy uses doses of radiation to kill cancer cells although this is difficult in the case of pericardial mesothelioma due to the surrounding vital organs such as the heart and lungs.  Dual therapy is a treatment combining radiation therapy with chemotherapy. Surgery comes in two forms; aggressive surgery and palliative procedures.  Aggressive surgery is a very difficult procedure and consists of removing large chunks of cancerous cells in an attempt to gain long term control over the cancer.  Palliative procedures just attempts to lessen the symptoms for the patient.

How much exposure to asbestos is needed for there to be a possibility of getting pericardial mesothelioma?

This depends on how strong and resistant the person is to disease and on the concentration of asbestos in the environment around him.  It is possible to get pericardial mesothelioma from as little as a couple of months of exposure to asbestos although on average it would take a couple of years for enough asbestos fibres to build up to cause cancer.

What is the prognosis for pericardial mesothelioma?

This is highly dependent on how early and how aggressively the cancer is treated.  If pericardial mesothelioma is treated when it has fully developed and matured then the chances of a patient’s survival is very small.  The prognosis could be only a couple of months.

Is there any promising research into cures for pericardial mesothelioma?

Research into cures of pericardial mesothelioma and all other forms of mesothelioma is being done in numerous research labs all over the USA.  Many pharmaceutical companies are also working hard to research new drugs for chemotherapy.  So far, research has been mostly unsuccessful.

CANCER - Its Cause, Prevention and Treatment

?I offer a Nature Cure interpretation of the disease commonly called Cancer.

Cancer is basically a reaction to the presence of a highly irritant substance or influence known as a carcinogen - (Cancer producer).

The persistent presence (internally or externally) of a carcinogen may cause cancer.

One of the generally unsuspected irritants is CARBON.

Any substance that has been carbonized by excessive heating, burning, roasting or toasting may become carcinogenic.

The main internal sources of carbon are toasted bread or biscuits, grilled foods, coffee, tea, cocoa, caramel, so-called "health foods" and beverages, toasted nuts, and tobacco smoke.

When absorbed externally almost any strongly acid or strongly alkaline substance can, when ingested by a highly toxemic organism, be irritant enough to be carcinogenic.

These substances may be gases or dust absorbed by respiration through the lungs or fluids absorbed by or through the digestive system or by contact with the skin.

The causes of cancer being known, the prevention of this complaint becomes self-evident.

Ingestion or contact with carcinogenic irritants should be avoided.

Prevention of cancer is achieved by simply not causing it.

If cancer has been developed the rational treatment is also evident.

The known causes should be removed or significantly reduced.

The toxic material that has initiated a cancerous process should be eliminated per medium of the lungs, skin and kidneys as quickly as possible.

Vigorous physical exercise accompanied by rhythmic diaphragmatic breathing, hydrotherapy such as: steam baths and full body packs, cold compresses, sitz baths, spinal baths to be employed as indicated.

A competent naturopath will know when and how to apply water as needed.

The diet should consist of unstimulating, highly alkaline and raw natural foods.

All foodless foods should be avoided.

All of the body's normal biological requirements are to be provided.

Here again, the competent naturopath will know what is needed.

This comprises a natural preparatory treatment.

When the inevitable Healing Crisis develops, the patient should be fasted until the organism indicates that the fast is to be terminated.

Fasting should be undertaken under the expert supervision of a competent naturopath.

If the sick organism possesses sufficient latent vitality - this program will provide the ideal conditions for it to make the supreme effort necessary to enable it to overcome the cancerous condition.

It must be understood that while every disease may be successfully treated, given favorable conditions, it remains true that not all patients will necessarily recover. "All disease may be cured, but not every patient".

 

Is Your Cancer Treatment Really a Cure?

My research on natural cancer cures has discovered that there are many claims being made about different substances, including drugs, herbs, supplements, and/or treatments, and various therapies, actually "curing" cancer, when in reality, they are ONLY treating one or more of the many SYMPTOMS of cancer, much like what the Medical Industry is well-noted for doing.

I hope that the explanation I present in this article will enable people to clearly and quickly identify any substances and/or treatments that actually cure cancer, versus those that only treat one or more symptoms of cancer, and need additional help to become part of a real cure. I believe that this distinction will prove to be invaluable for my readers in considering and evaluating ANY treatment, therapy or individual substance represented as being a "cancer cure". If they don't address the primary cause of cancer, i.e. oxygen deficiency, then all of these substances and therapies are in fact, just treatments of cancer symptoms.

As I have already discussed in an earlier article: the primary cause of cancer is a deficiency of oxygen. In fact, it has been discovered that when a healthy cell is deprived of 60% or more of its necessary oxygen, it will become cancerous! Also, as previously mentioned, we have polluted our world so much, such that the air we breathe is only about 20% oxygen, and it is physically impossible for us to get enough oxygen in our body cells by just normal breathing! So, I think that it is safe to say, that if we manage to create a highly oxygenated environment for our cells (in addition to breathing), that we will actually prevent our healthy cells from becoming cancerous, and at the same time destroy the cancerous cells that already exist! Whatever can accomplish this ONE task: increasing oxygen to our cells, can officially be called a cure for cancer. I listed some of the cures that I discovered in my research, like Oxygen Therapy, Ozone Therapy, and 35% Food Grade Hydrogen Peroxide. All of these treatments can officially be called cures for cancer because they directly address the fundamental and primary cause of cancer - oxygen deficiency.

But you may ask, "What about all these other "natural cancer cures" we see populating the Internet and that seem to work?"

Well, if the body is oxygen-deficient for extremely long periods of time, then the cancer cells continue to grow and multiply, rather than being destroyed and eliminated by the immune system. This creates secondary and tertiary symptoms in the form of abundant duplication of cancerous cells, increased toxins, tumor formation, and the attraction of various germs, bacteria, pathogens, and many other anaerobic micro-organisms, just to name a few. From my research I've discovered that most of the so-called "natural cancer cures" really address the secondary or tertiary symptoms of cancer, rather than the primary cause, which is oxygen deficiency, and until the primary cause of cancer is addressed, there will always be the chance that when using these various "symptomatic cures", that the cancer will return again, unless additional steps are taken to address the primary cause -oxygen deficiency!

There are many substances like drugs, herbs, chemicals, treatments, etc. that actually kill cancer cells, but that achievement alone does not make ANY of them a Cancer "Cure", for the simple reason that they do not address the primary cause of cancer - oxygen deficiency! What this means is that even if you kill all the cancerous cells in your body, when you allow yourself to remain oxygen-deficient, then there's a good chance that more cells will eventually become cancerous in the future, and you'll be back where you started! By the same logic, if you remove all the toxins from the body by using a great internal or colon-cleansing product, or herb, and not address the primary cause, then even more toxins will be created by the massive number of cells still becoming cancerous, as well as the attracted number of anaerobic micro-organisms that will take up residency in the oxygen-deficient body organs and tissues. If you electrically "zap" all of the anaerobic micro-organisms in the blood stream, as suggested by Dr. Robert Beck (see article and video "Blood Electrification For Alternative Cancer Treatment"), new ones will eventually appear again (and Dr. Beck actually discovered this exact result with AIDS patients!) because of the continued oxygen-deficient environment still present in the body. In other words, all of the "symptomatic cures" that address the secondary and tertiary causes of cancer do not address the primary cause of Cancer and therefore should NOT be classified as Cancer Cures!

When I discovered the videos with Charlotte Gerson speaking in-depth about The Gerson Therapy, I immediately classified the Therapy as a "cancer cure", even though I could not see how the Therapy solved the problem of oxygen deficiency! And after thinking considerably about this necessary distinction I had made between things that cure cancer and things that only cure cancer symptoms, I had to ask myself this burning question...

"How is it possible that a 100% Raw Organic Fruit and Vegetable Diet could be classified as a Natural Cancer Cure?"

Yes, I understood that the Therapy solved two major problems, the nutritional deficiency and toxic build-up, but I didn't exactly see the relationship between the Therapy and oxygen-deficiency, which I had already determined previously, was an absolute MUST for any Cancer Cure to be effective over time!

So, for the past few weeks, I've been in this seemingly conundrum. I thought that I might find the answer in Dr. Baroody's book, "ALKALIZE OR DIE", but surprisingly, I didn't find the answer there. However, by divine guidance, I was directed to "Ask Jeeves" and typed in "What is A Cure?" And somehow, I miraculously ended up at a website entitled "Understanding Cancer and Cancer Cells", and I began to read and discovered the EXACT ANSWER to my dilemma!! (Boy, I really LOVE the Internet!!)

For the answer to that question which has tormented me for weeks, we have to understand a little bit of chemistry. It is a chemical fact that alkaline solutions with a pH over 7.0 tend to absorb oxygen, while acidic solutions (pH below 7.0) tend to expel oxygen. When the body becomes acidic, even mildly, oxygen is driven out of the body. While the only acidic fluids in our bodies are stomach fluids (HCL) and urine, all other body fluids, especially blood, are supposed to be mildly alkaline at pH 7.4, so that they are able to absorb oxygen on a continuous basis. Blood MUST stay alkaline at pH 7.4, so that it can absorb oxygen from the lungs and retain its oxygen until it passes the oxygen on to all the cellular tissues, by traveling through the arteries and tiny capillaries throughout our bodies. When the proper mineral consumption is in the diet, the blood is supplied with the crucial minerals required to maintain an alkaline pH of 7.4. However, when there is a deficiency of minerals in the diet, your body is forced to remove those crucial minerals, such as calcium, from the saliva, spinal fluids, kidneys, liver, etc., in order to maintain the blood pH at 7.4. This, in turn, causes the mineral deficient fluids and organs to become acidic, and therefore, also oxygen deficient, which we already know causes cancer, as well as just about every other disease!

Consequently, I am satisfied, and can NOW understand the upmost importance of maintaining, not only a diet rich in Alkaline Foods, but to make sure as much as possible, that these foods are Organic, in order to maximize the variety and relative abundance of enzymes, vitamins, and especially minerals, that are absolutely essential to cure our body of oxygen deficiency! So, if you think that all of the Oxygen Therapy methods discussed are too uncomfortable, too expensive, or too nauseating, then the next best real cure for cancer is 100% Raw Alkaline Organic Food!

Now, after discovering this new information about how alkalinity benefits the body in relationship to Oxygen, I feel confident and ready to research the true benefits of Alkaline Water: Is it a real Cure, or just another "Symptomatic Cure"? From a casual glance, it seems that it should be a genuine natural cancer cure, but that remains to be seen... so stay tuned!

 

Apricot Seeds: Are Apricot Seeds a Natural Alternative Cancer Treatment?

My best friend and life partner, Colleen, is a cancer survivor. She was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2000. Doctors used traditional cancer treatments on her, including radiation, multiple surgeries, and drug therapy, which lasted several years. She didn't enjoy any of this. In 2005 she was diagnosed terminal. This time, she decided to research more of her options. She landed on an alternative cancer treatment program which included a heavy focus on cancer nutrition. She is alive today because of this decision. She has devoted her life to helping others with their cancer treatment journey. My goal is to help Colleen help others. I truly do believe that cancer is preventable in most cases.

Cancer is on the increase and cancer survival rates have improved slightly, only because cancer symptoms are recognized and diagnosed sooner. And many people diagnosed or who have loved ones diagnosed with cancer are choosing to become more informed about alternatives to traditional cancer treatments. Many are realizing that treating cancer traditionally through the practice of burning with radiation, poisoning with chemotherapy, or removing with surgery may not be what is right for them. However, one thing that is common to both the traditional cancer treatment and alternative cancer treatment worlds is that a healthy diet is essential.

In the world of alternative cancer treatments, one of the best cancer fighting foods that stands out as having some of the strongest anti-cancer properties is the apricot seed, or apricot kernel as it is also called. The apricot seeds are actually the soft almond shaped, bitter tasting kernels from inside the pits. Apricot seeds contain something called amygdalin.

In 1952, a biochemist from San Francisco named Dr. Ernst Krebs, Jr. suggested that cancer was a metabolic reaction to a poor diet, and that a missing nutrient from the modern day human diet could be the key to cancer prevention and treatment. He believed that poor diets based on unnatural or processed food products were a primary cause behind compromised human immune systems. His research led to a compound called amygdalin that is found in over 1200 edible plants throughout nature. It is also commonly called vitamin B-17 and its extract is known as laetrile.

Amygdalin is found with the highest concentration and necessary enzymes in apricot seeds. A primitive tribe, the Hunzas in the mountains of Pakistan, were known to consume large amounts of apricot seeds and those who lived on their natural diets containing apricot seeds as well as several other organically grown foods had no recorded incidents of cancer and they lived long, healthy life spans. Many other groups with similar diets containing apricot seeds also have low or no cancer rates.

Apricot seeds are more available to consumers now than laetrile because in 1971 the US government's Food and Drug Administration (FDA) banned laetrile. Many believe that this ban was put in place because the laetrile was from a natural food source that couldn't be patented or controlled by the large pharmaceutical companies for profit like they do for cancer drugs and traditional cancer treatments. There has been much misinformation published about apricot seeds.

The most common belief promoted by the pharmaceutical companies and medical profession is that apricot seeds are poison. That is true to a point. Apricot seeds contain organic cyanide and benzaldyhide but then so do many other foods such as almonds, lima beans, soy, spinach and bamboo shoots to name a few. Many foods containing organic cyanide are safe because the cyanide remains bound and locked as part of another molecule and therefore cannot cause harm.

There is an enzyme called rhodanese which is found in normal healthy human cells but not in cancer cells. It basically catches any free cyanide molecules and renders them harmless by combining them with sulfur naturally. They are converted to a cyanate which is a neutral substance and easily passed through the urine with no harm to the normal cells.

But there is an enzyme called beta-glucosidase that is found only in cancer cells, and is considered the "unlocking enzyme" for amygdalin molecules. It releases both the benzaldyhide and the organic cyanide to work with the protective enzymes in healthy cells to attack and destroy cancer cells. The healthy non-cancerous cells are not destroyed in this natural process.

When considering what is right for you, the world of natural alternative cancer treatments offers a wide range of options. Apricot seeds are used by many people as part of their natural cancer treatment or cancer prevention plan. For more information about using apricot seeds as a natural alternative cancer treatment, please come visit my website.

Steve Newton's best friend and life partner, Colleen Walker, is a cancer survivor. She has undergone both traditional and alternative cancer treatments. She believes she is alive today because she chose an alternative cancer treatment path. Colleen has devoted her life to helping others with their cancer journey at her website http://cancercausesandcures.com/ where she shares her thoughts on many cancer related issues. Steve's main goal is to help Colleen help others. He does this through his website which is an information sharing site about alternative cancer treatments. Steve's website can be found at http://alternativecancertreatmentreviews.com/ and he invites you to drop by both sites for a visit or comment.