Slowly but surely, Eastern medicine is gaining acceptance in the world of Western academia. Most recently, a study by the University of Rochester Medical Center has shown the powerful anti-nausea effects of ginger, the ubiquitous root that has played a significant role in Asian and Indian medicine since the 16^th century, on cancer patients. (The results were published in the American Society of Clinical Oncology.)

“Nausea is a major problem for people who undergo chemotherapy and it’s been a challenge for scientists and doctors to understand how to control it,” said Julie L. Ryan, Ph.D., M.P.H., assistant professor of Dermatology and Radiation Oncology at Rochester’s James P. Wilmot Cancer Center, and a member of Rochester’s Community Clinical Oncology Program Research Base.

The study, which was funded by the National Cancer Institute, showed that patients can reduce post-chemotherapy nausea by 40 percent using ginger supplements along with standard anti-vomiting drugs before undergoing treatment. The Phase II/III placebo-controlled, double-blind study included 644 cancer patients who would receive at least three chemotherapy treatments.

More common uses for the wonder root include nausea and vomiting following surgery, during pregnancy, and motion sickness. For recommended doses, visit the University of Maryland Medical Center website.

Image: Crystl

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Something as simple and natural as a daily apple may help in the fight against breast cancer.

According to research scientist Rui Hai Liu, M.D., Ph.D., of Cornell University, the results are favorable. His research program at Cornell University focuses on diet and cancer, and the effect of functional foods on chronic disease, cardiovascular disease, and aging.

In a recent paper published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, Liu’s study demonstrated that whole apple extracts effectively inhibited mammary cancer growth in rats, therefore leading him and his team to believe that apples may very well be an effective strategy for cancer protection. Especially good to learn as apples are major contributors of phytochemicals in human diets.

In an interview with the American Federation for Aging Research, Liu said he and his colleagues were able to show that phytochemicals in fresh apples could greatly inhibit the growth of liver and colon cancer cells.

Specifically, his research showed that 50 mg of apple extracts taken from the skins, inhibited colon cancer cells by 43 percent. And apple flesh extracts inhibited the colon cancer cells by 29 percent.

The same dosage of apple extracts with skins, he said,inhibited liver cancer cells by 57 percent, and the extracts inhibited liver cancer cells by 40 percent.

Liu’s team also treated rats with a known mammary carcinogen, and were able to block mammary cancer formation. This is the first study of the effects of apples on cancer prevention in animals.

Liu said that while there is a good chance it will work in humans, they still have to confirm this premise with additional tests. But why wait for the results? An apple a day is a healthy way to get a head start.

Image: Energetic Spirit

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