WELL WOMAN SERIES: FEMALE CANCERS

The question ‘What is cancer?’ came from a very healthy-looking lady who was approaching 50. Although she looked well, while she was speaking to me I could see that she had broken into a sweat and she told me that she was scared of getting cancer. I replied that fear is our worst enemy and as our mind is so much more powerful than our body, if we strongly focus it on something negative, there is a danger that we may cause whatever we are most dreading to happen. I will elaborate on this in Chapter Eight, on ‘Cancer and the Mind’.

When the lady told me her story, it interested me and made me smile. She had been travelling on the underground when she had broken into a sweat: she was having a hot flush, a common and uncomfortable symptom of the menopause. A fellow lady passenger sitting across from her looked at her sympathetically. It is very sad in today’s society that we cannot talk to one another any more, especially on the underground, as this is considered to be dangerous. Unless we know each other, we tend to refrain from becoming involved as certain situations can turn very nasty, as I once witnessed while travelling on the underground.

This lady noticed that the sympathetic woman opposite her had started to write a little note. As she stood to disembark, she handed this note over to her. It said, ‘I can see your problem. I had a similar problem. HRT did not help and I also felt it was dangerous. May I advise you to see Jan de Vries for a consultation. A friend of mine advised me to see him. I am completely free of the perspiration problem now and my fear of cancer has gone.’

Many questions were raised regarding HRT and its possible relation to breast cancer when I took part in programmes with Gloria Hunniford on Radio 2 in the 1980s. In the 12 years that I appeared on these programmes, I reiterated my advice that if one can treat menopausal symptoms without HRT, one should do so. There are plenty of natural remedies which are just as effective. If you can be treated naturally, why would you want to take an artificial remedy?

In saying that, I would be lying if I claimed I had never advised a patient to take HRT. In some cases where there is absolutely no alternative, I recommend its use but I always inform patients that in the time I have been in practice, over 45 years, I have seen the side effects of HRT, including phlebitis, thrombosis and breast cancer. Even today, when a lot more has been learned by scientists about the hormone system, there is still not an endocrinologist or immunologist who knows exactly how the hormone system works. For this reason, it is important to take the more natural approach if at all possible.

Although the body’s hormonal system is extremely complex and I will be discussing it throughout this book, I would like to digress for a short time to describe it in simple terms. It consists of a number of glands scattered around the body. Each gland is responsible for producing and secreting one or more specific chemicals which we call hormones. The hormonal system has a wide range of functions. It is involved with:

The ovaries are two walnut-sized structures that sit on either side of the uterus. Ovaries contain follicles in which eggs mature. Ovaries also produce hormones. When born, baby girls have about two million eggs in their ovaries.

The fallopian tubes are simple structures connecting the ovaries to the uterus. They allow eggs to be transported from the ovary to the uterus. Each fallopian tube is about 4 cm long.

The uterus, or womb, is a hollow muscular structure about the size of a pear. It is in the uterus that a fertilised egg implants and matures during pregnancy.

The cervix is the opening to the uterus through which the male sperm travels to fertilise an egg. It is through the cervix that the baby leaves the uterus.

The vagina is the passageway connecting the uterus to the outside world.

The whole menstrual cycle is very complicated. In essence, the following events happen during each cycle:

You will hear people using the word ‘premenstrual’. This is the term used to describe the few days before menstruation. During this time some women report a variety of physical and emotional symptoms. ‘Postmenstrual’ is not such a commonly used term. It is used to describe the days after menstruation, before ovulation begins again.

Levels of the female hormones change frequently in the body. This brings about the complicated processes that govern the female reproductive system.

It is to be noted that during some parts of the menstrual cycle, oestrogen levels are higher than progesterone. The reverse is true during other parts of the cycle. The healthy functioning of the whole menstrual cycle is dependent upon the correct balance of hormones at every single stage. It is the imbalance of these hormones that gives rise to difficulties.

The most common problems relating to the female hormonal system may be grouped as follows.

In the course of the lectures I have given over the years in 40 different states of the United States, I have been given feedback during the question and answer sessions that many ladies take HRT not only for help with symptoms such as perspiration, but to keep them looking young. They are afraid of getting wrinkles or crow’s feet and believe HRT is the answer. In addition, they feel it will make them more attractive to the opposite sex. Nothing is further from the truth. Many problems have arisen because of such misconceptions. It always amazes me that it has taken so many years for the medical establishment to come to the conclusion that HRT has side effects. Even though the press might have exaggerated these side effects, there is definite evidence that problems have occurred with the use of HRT. This has come to the fore through recent research.

This is where complementary healthcare comes into its own: not only dietary management but also exercise and natural medicines, which I will talk about later in this book. A positive mind is also essential. Methods like Chinese breathing exercises, ‘mind over matter’ techniques and visualisation are all very important in the fight against cancer.

Cancer occurs when the cells, the ‘building blocks’ of the body, become diseased. Although these cells are different in each part of the body, they all either repair or reproduce themselves. There is therefore a lot one can do to control cancer by helping the regenerative cells. Normal cells look like an even plateau of little eggs with points in them – this is when tumours are benign. A tumour, however, when malignant, will grow out of this normal plateau like a muscle. In a benign tumour, the cells do not spread to other parts of the body, so we can then say they are not cancers. If they grow normally, there is no problem unless the tumour presses on surrounding organs. A malignant tumour has the ability to spread away from the original site. If the tumour is left untreated, it can invade and destroy surrounding tissues, or break away into a primary cancer condition and spread to other organs, such as the lymphatic system. When these cells reach yet another site, a new tumour can establish itself. It is always important to realise that cancer is a metabolic disease and that although there are more than 200 different types of cancer, each one has its own form and name, and each requires a specific treatment. Later in this book, I will go into more detail about the different cancers that can affect women. Now let us talk a little bit more about what cancer is.

Although still very small, I realised that something unusual was going on when I was taken away by my mother’s friend. The subsequent birth of my little sister seemed like a ray of sunshine and hope in a world full of misery and danger. It was something that cheered us all up and to the adults it acted temporarily as a diversion from their worries about the war.

A day later I was back home again, once arrangements had been made for the people in hiding from the Germans for whom my mother had accepted responsibility. It was then that a scaly patch was noticed on the back of my newly born sister and the local doctor was asked for his opinion. He was not too happy about it and advised us to get a second opinion. He told Mother that he suspected it to be a kind of skin cancer. This sounded serious and yet it seemed unbelievable that such a young baby could have such a life-threatening disease.

Nowadays, I seem to come across such problems far more frequently and I am staggered to see cancer so much on the increase. The devastating effects of the disease strike at the basics of the human body, namely the cells. We see only too often that the regenerative cells are under attack, sometimes due to a poor diet, or to an enzyme deficiency or imbalance. Insufficient vitamins and minerals can also be a contributory factor, as a deficiency often means that the cells cannot function properly. We must never overlook the fact, too, that stress has a detrimental effect on our health. If I had my wish, we would never see the stress of war repeated and no doubt this goes for the majority of people who lived through those days. However, our present lives are by no means free of stress and I believe that this could have a lot of bearing on the increasing incidence of cancer. We must also ask whether our dietary habits influence our regenerative cells in a positive or negative manner. A balanced diet is an extremely important factor in the prevention and control of cancer.

Although still rather young at the time of my sister’s birth, I nevertheless retain vivid memories of that period. Our general practitioner had recommended a second opinion and therefore my sister would have to be examined by a specialist at the provincial hospital. In the dark days of the war, travel was virtually impossible as there were few means of transport remaining for civilians. As our local doctor realised that speedy action was necessary, he pointed out that the best way of travelling between the hospital and our town would probably be by hearse. This vehicle was in frequent use on that stretch of road in those days, for obvious reasons. It was therefore arranged that my mother and her little daughter would be taken to and from hospital by the hearse, so that my sister could receive radium treatment.

In later years, my sister has come to realise that she made medical history, because she was among the earliest patients to receive this kind of treatment. It was by no means a pleasant situation, but of course my mother would have done anything in her power to influence my sister’s health favourably. My father had been deported by the Germans and, as a result, she had to tackle the problem virtually alone. She shouldered it courageously.

The treatment was effective, but we must remember that each cell grows, reproduces and then dies. The dead cell which has been removed must then be replaced by a new cell and here problems were encountered. As a result of the radium treatment, many of my sister’s healthy cells were destroyed along with the cancerous cells and the specialist in charge of her treatment made a remark, later repeated to me by my mother, which showed a great deal of vision and insight for those days. He informed my mother that, in his opinion, the condition of her baby was the result of a one-sided food pattern – or, to put it in better English, an imbalanced diet. According to him, my sister was a product of the war, when so few foodstuffs were available. Looking back, this remark was quite revolutionary, as orthodox medicine unfortunately did not pay any attention to a possible connection between food and cancer.

Unbeknown to us at that time, this eminent specialist lived only a few minutes’ walk from us. I dare say that if it was not for this gentleman, Professor A. Kolf, more kidney problems might be experienced today, because he was the inventor of the artificial kidney machine. I was very pleased when I was able to watch a film shown to the staff of a hospital I worked at, telling of how Professor Kolf had worked so hard during the war to establish the kidney machine. I only refer to this because that same eminent scientist was one of the first to recognise or even consider a possible connection between cancer and food – a very unusual viewpoint for those days.

Although my sister was finally cured of her problem, a long list of minor illnesses plagued her right up to the age of seven, from which can be deduced that the disease and its treatment took its toll on and drastically affected her immune system. Professor Kolf had warned Mother of this possibility, but he had also told her that, with luck, after the age of seven things would change for the better. In this he was also proved right. Many times I heard my mother refer to Professor Kolf with the greatest affection and admiration and, although in those days I was too young to appreciate it all, in my later studies I came to realise how ahead of his time he was.

During the war years, the medical establishment was not ready for Kolf’s insistence on a balanced food pattern. Today, however, we realise more and more the probability of an inter-relationship between diet and cancer, although unfortunately the incidence of these problems is still on the increase. It is true that during the war years, particularly during the final months, there was little food to be had in terms of quantity, but it is also equally true that the available food was most likely of a better quality. Nowadays, although the required quantity is available, often the quality is lacking. Food which has been interfered with through the use of artificial fertilisers, artificial colourings, chemical additives and preservatives may carry a lot of the blame for interference with the formation of healthy cells. If the immune system, the natural defence mechanism of the body, is not able to remove the invaders of healthy cells, cancer cells can take over.

Under normal circumstances, all cellular action occurs in an orderly way. If a cell divides in order to form a new cell and no interference takes place, nothing untoward will happen. But if outside factors are allowed to interfere, a tumour may develop which could eventually turn malignant. Then other tissues may be invaded as cells travel to other parts of the body and start new growths there, and the formation of normal cells is endangered.

Nobody really knows what causes this complex disease. Modern technology and science in many fields contribute to the advance in combating certain types of cancers, but whatever is discovered often seems to increase the doubt and mystery which surrounds cancer. All discoveries concerning the possible causes of cancer are extremely useful, but it is much more essential that lessons be learned to assist us in the prevention of the illness. This is especially true in today’s society because of the pollution of air, food and water – the three forms of energy vital to life. Elimination and prevention are of the utmost importance and therefore we should concentrate on strengthening and rebuilding the immune system, so that it is capable of withstanding attacks.

As I have said, my sister’s treatment was successful. When the war ended, Mother devised a well thought out and sensible diet as soon as the situation allowed. She spared no effort in encouraging my sister’s health to improve and today she is very well and the mother of two healthy sons. Occasionally when I look at her, I find it hard to believe that she once suffered the after-effects of radium treatment. By rebuilding her immune system, my sister was given the chance to develop into a healthy adult and she still follows the guidelines adhered to by our mother: a well-balanced and natural diet; no smoking or drinking. It goes to show that it is possible for people who follow a sensible diet and refrain from certain indulgences to control cancer. Moreover, I am convinced that this also goes a long way towards prevention.

I often wonder if enough investigation in this area is being carried out. Every time I come across civilisations where cancer is non-existent, it seems that they lead less stressful lives and generally follow sensibly balanced dietary patterns. Then I again recognise the wisdom hidden in the phrase, ‘We are what we eat.’ Environmental influence could be a possible factor in the development of cancer. Specific cancers seem to be more prevalent in certain parts of the world than elsewhere – for example:

It is generally believed that cancer is a disease of modern times, but in fact that is not true. In ancient Greek writings, we come across references to cancer and even in the Old Testament of the Bible diseases are referred to that sound very similar to cancer. Skeletons from ancient times discovered in Egypt show signs of tumours having formed. It is, however, a fact that cancer is becoming more prevalent. If we are to find a solution to this problem, we must leave no stone unturned in our investigations as to the cause of the illness and, better still, its prevention.

It is doubtful if allergies and viruses have ever been as prevalent as they are today. There is little doubt that viruses can be a contributory factor to cancer. When viruses are diagnosed and treated properly in their early stages, much can be done for the patient. Despite all the treatments now available in both orthodox and alternative medicine, the ones which offer the most hope are those which call upon the body’s natural reserves and assist the healthy cells wherever possible to fight the abnormal cells.

Each type of cancer needs a different approach. A sarcoma – a cancer which begins in the connective tissue – will need different treatment from, for instance, a carcinoma, a cancerous growth made up of epithelial cells. A priority must be to decide on how a tumour should best be treated. It could well be the start of a neoplasm, which is an abnormal growth of tissue that can either be a benign swelling or turn out to be a malignant cancer. This malignant cancer could take the form of a carcinoma, sarcoma or leukaemia.

The lifestyle of each cancer patient should be scrutinised and he or she should be seen as a complete human being: the physical and mental aspects should both be looked at. Cancer points to the presence of disharmony and therefore every function in the body should be taken into consideration.