Curcumin for Cancer

Curcumin for Cancer

Curcumin and Cancer

The common misconception is that holistic therapies are not founded in science or are good science. That could not be further from the truth. The counter assumption is that conventional medicine is founded on sound science. More, it is just founded in the “accepted” science. Just because you don’t see something doesn’t make it so. Just because you have no knowledge of a particular topic does not disqualify the legitimacy of that topic. The truth still exists. Truth does not need our approval or acceptance to exist. The denial of truth doesn’t make truth cease to exist. No matter the push to discredit or destroy truth, truth prevails. Ever see gravity? Ever research or read studies on gravity? Gravity’s existence is not contingent on you taking time to read, study, and acquire knowledge on the topic of gravity. Gravity is not the result of the accumulation of academic education or the collection of academic degrees. Regardless of belief, education level, or academic degree, gravity, and its effects are evident for all to see. Gravity is truth. The truth of gravity will make itself clear whether you believe in it or not.

The same concept of truth applies to holistic therapies. I have discussed previously that doctors historically do a terrible job of reading. The entire continuing medical education (CME) system has generated a culture of physicians with little independent curiosity beyond the accepted groupthink. This waste-land culture of deficit intellectual curiosity has generated a vast knowledge vacancy and the inability to acquire new knowledge or the means to remedy the lack of knowledge. Heck, there is no recognition of a void in knowledge.

Another propagated falsehood is that holistic therapies lack specificity in action. This falsehood ties in with the first point (above) that holistic therapies lack scientific validity. Both are attempts to discredit effective treatments that challenge the current, highly profitable paradigm that currently drives conventional medicine. This leads to the current problem of profits and power over the patient that adulterates the practice of medicine today. Just as the first falsehood lacks truth, the second lacks truth. If you have read any of my writings, watched any of my videos, or listened to any of my podcasts, it should be clear that I want to let science lead the way. It is about biochemistry. It is about physiology. The reproducibility of the mechanism of action of holistic therapies permeate vast amounts of the scientific literature; this highlights the lack of knowledge, lack of desire to gain new knowledge, and the groupthink that permeates so much of conventional medicine today.

Holistic is specific

Surprisingly, to most conventional docs, holistic and natural therapies are precise in their actions. Holistic therapies, such as curcumin, have exact signaling pathways, transcription mechanisms, metabolic effects, epigenetic effects, and anti-cancer mechanisms of action. The problem is that their specificity is so wide-reaching. Problem? The problem is because this kind of thinking doesn’t fit within the conventional mindset of linear cause and effect. This linear, sequential thinking among doctors today results from long-standing indoctrination in medical school, residencies, fellowships, and continuing medical education. The result is trained, more brainwashed, physicians who overly simplify the body’s physiology to the point of misrepresenting and misunderstanding how the body works. This miseducation teaches doctors not to think but to regurgitate the party line. The result is the inability to think big picture, out of the box, beyond the simple concept of simple cause and effect. In coming posts, I will dive more into the specifics of curcumin’s actions.

Curcumin

There is not a more researched or historically used potential therapy than curcumin. As of the writing of this post, the U.S. pubmed lists 16,987 articles on curcumin. In contrast, the European PMC equivalent lists 36,616 articles. These numbers are remarkable when considering the conventional mindset that creates counter pressure to research and publication on all things “alternative”, “natural”, or “holistic”.

What about history? It is throughout history where the validity of curcumin has stood the test of time. In our current history, never have we had access to so much information, yet done so little with it. In contrast, ancient cultures were incredible thinkers. Ancient cultures were able to do so much more with so little compared to the present day.

What about culture? Today, many view curcumin as a food or a spice. Curcumin appears to hit the history stage approximately 2000 BC. Many ancient cultures treasured its medicinal attributes. It was seen as medicine first and food later. In today’s hyper-compartmentalized groupthink, it is impossible to recognize that food is medicine. Medicine is food. Hippocrates, the father of western medicine, recognized and was credited as saying this thousands of years ago. Curcumin, which comes from the turmeric root, was heavily used by what I call the ancients—these are the ancient cultures that we often read about but fail to recognize their brilliance and contribution to history, to our present-day, and our future. History is more than just words on a page; it is past lives and experiences recorded for us to learn for the purpose of better living—if we choose.

Many ancient cultures championed curcumin. Ayurvedic medicine is one of the oldest forms of medicine originating from India thousands of years ago. Some estimate 3,000 years ago, others estimate 6,000. The exact age is open for debate. The point is that Ayurvedic medicine has stood the test of time and still stands tall. In actuality, that is the largest, longest observational study in history!

In contrast, conventional medicine has not stood the test of any time at all, starting early in the 20th century. In pure numbers, that is roughly 3,000-6,000 years to 100. Curcumin, via the spice turmeric (curcumin longa), is a mainstay of Ayurvedic medicine ^[1]. In addition, ancient Asian cultures, including traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), have used the same curcumin for its medicinal properties. Even the ancient Greek physicians used curcumin. These cultures represent some of the brightest and most intellectually advancing times in the history of the world. Not only did these ancient cultures approve of curcumin, but they also spread it to the world. If curcumin did not stand the test of time, it would have never passed beyond the ancients.

The problem with Curcumin

The problem with curcumin is different than you may think. No therapy, even natural and holistic treatments, is without questions and issues. Science, is in part, the debate of scientific ideas. Without different opinions and scientific discussions, there is no foundation for real science. Any exclusion of debate in science is the de-platform of this foundation for a new type of uniform religion of science where discussion and descent are not allowed under the threat of religious persecution.

There are some problems, more perceived problems, with curcumin. It is essential to be clear that the research, the volume of research, and the mechanism of action of curcumin are not the problems. First, curcumin is not new. What kind of problem is that? Curcumin is not the new shiny pharmaceutical wonder drug that is launched with millions of dollars of marketing. Curcumin doesn’t have a heavily researched and funded avatar running down the beach with butterflies following in its wake. More, it allows it to be overlooked and marginalized by researchers. Second, curcumin is natural. To most of us, that is a good thing and provides instant credibility, but to most in conventional medicine and the government bureaucracy, it discredits and marginalizes it. Third, curcumin has low bioavailability when taken orally. Curcumin is poorly absorbed through the gastrointestinal tract resulting in lower systemic levels. The result is low biological effects. Studies have pointed to the need to take up to 8 grams of oral curcumin to overcome this limited bioavailability. That is a lot of pills and a lot of spice on the stomach and doesn’t go down too well. The low bioavailability of curcumin is not a permanent roadblock but a simple detour overcome through intravenous administration. This low curcumin oral bioavailability is very similar to the shortcomings of vitamin C that are overcome through intravenous administration ^[2]. Finally, at this point in history, natural products, such as curcumin, are not patentable. From the conventional, bureaucratic mindset, this is grounds for instant marginalization because of the lack of profits.

How does Curcumin work against cancer?

This specific post will not dive into all the details and specifics of the anti-cancer effects of curcumin. I have the receipts, and the mechanisms will come in later posts backed with the large volume of evidence to support it. To set the stage, the broad-based, anti-cancer effects of Curcumin target:

• Inflammation ^{[3] [4]}
• Angiogenesis ^{[5] [6] [7] [8]}
• Invasion ^{[9] [10]}
• Growth/proliferation ^{[11] [12]}
• Cytotoxicity (direct cancer killing) ^{[13] [14]}
• Apoptosis (programmed cell death) ^{[15] [16] [17]}
• Oncogenic metabolism/metabolic reprogramming ^{[18] [19] [20]}
• Lactagenesis (excess lactate production) ^[21]
• pH (Acid/base balance) ^[22]
• Alterations in the tumor microenvironment ^{[23] [24] [25]}
• Cell survival ^{[26] [27]}
• Tumor escape ^[28]
• Metastasis ^{[29] [30] [31] [32]}
• Immunomodulation ^{[33] [34] [35] [36]}
• Hormones ^{[37] [38] [39] [40]}
• Epigenetics ^{[41] [42] [43]}
• Gut microbiome ^{[44] [45]}
• Cancer stem cells ^{[46] [47] [48] [49] [50] [51]}

Oh, but there is more. Curcumin helps increase chemotherapy and radiation sensitivity, it helps to overcome treatment resistance, and it is an excellent adjuvant therapy to ANY cancer treatment program. These few points alone provide sufficient evidence to support the general use of curcumin in cancer treatment—the specifics of the mechanisms of the how are just icing on the cake for those who follow the biochemistry.

Without question, the anti-cancer effects of curcumin reach far beyond this preliminary evidence-based list. There is not a more effective anti-cancer therapy available. But of course, curcumin is God-made, not human-made, and that is the problem. Stay tuned!

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