MANGOSTEEN and CANCER

J. Frederic Templeman, MD: Cancer is a blanket term covering a
variety of disorders with the common element of abnormal,
uncontrolled cell growth that will not stop on its own. Under
normal conditions, cell growth is strictly controlled with cell
birth equaling cell death so that the total number of cells in the
body remains relatively constant. At times, abnormal growth that is
not cancerous can occur. We still call the abnormal tissue
a "tumor" but it is benign and not malignant (cancerous). In this
pamphlet, I will be dealing only with cancer.

The mechanism which stimulates cells to divide and multiply (when
repair or replacement work is needed in the body) and then turns
them off afterwards is under the control of genes contained in the
chromosomes of the nucleus. These genes, which are composed of DNA,
can be thought of as the policemen of cell society. The nucleus of
the cell would be the control center of all regulatory activity.

In the nucleus, the DNA, like the hard drive of a computer, contains
all the programming for the body. When it is damaged by free
radicals, for example, it can become corrupted or scarred. This
damage is called mutation and it is the critical event that leads to
cancer. A mutation can be seen as the failure of a gene to perform
its duty. (Watch for the change here). Using the policeman
comparison again, mutation becomes possible only if the policeman
(gene) is corrupted by criminal elements and becomes a criminal
himself or if he is asleep on the job and does nothing while
damaging changes occur around him.

Continuing the analogy, disease, viruses, environmental pollutants,
dangerous foods etc. can be seen as criminal elements whose purpose
is to disrupt the society of cells in our body and then profit from
the chaos and damage that results. These criminal elements have
agents working for them called free radicals. Free radicals charge
around the body like madmen armed with automatic weapons which they
fire all around them damaging healthy cells. They then steal
electrons left unprotected by their attack. Their primary target is
the DNA in the nucleus, the command center of the cell where they
can inflict the greatest damage.

A prominent free radical researcher Dr. Bruce Ames estimates that
the DNA material in every one of the trillions of cells in our body
receives about ten thousand hits from free radicals everyday! To
prevent a breach of the body's defenses in the face of an attack of
such magnitude requires the concerted efforts of all the agents of
the immune system, which can be seen as the armed forces of the
body, along with the collaboration of the policemen or the gene
regulatory mechanism.

When, despite the body's best efforts, a breach of our defenses
occurs, a tumor forms. Like a city captured by enemy forces, the
tumor becomes a stronghold that has multiple defense mechanisms with
which it resists the continued attacks of the immune system. Within
the stronghold, tumor viruses and deranged cells proliferate and are
sent out like secret agents to corrupt (infect) healthy cells
elsewhere. The cells of the tumor itself grow without the
restrictions that govern normal cells and, almost immediately,
become the fastest growing tissue in the body. As they grow
rapidly, they steal food and energy needed by healthy cells. For
this reason, cancer patients may appear starved and wasted (a
medical term called cachexia). Tumors cause pain by becoming large
enough to press on nerves or other pain sensitive structures. They
can block ducts or intestines causing severe bodily dysfunction.
They often completely take over whole organs, i.e. the liver or
lungs, crowding out functioning cells and leading to organ death.

Many cancers spread or metastasize to other areas of the body
(remember the "secret agent" tumor viruses?), invading organs far
from where they originally started. In contrast, most normal cells
are anchored in place. Because of this mobility, a breast cancer
cell can make its way to the brain, for example, and start another
tumor. When metastases (distant sites of cancer invasion) are
present, the enemy has already developed several strongholds
throughout the body. If the cancer is unchecked, death is the
inevitable outcome.

Standard cancer intervention centers on the surgical excision of
tumors and/or their destruction by radiation or chemotherapy.
Immuno-stimulative therapies, although rare, also exist.
Unfortunately, most of these interventions also damage normal
healthy tissue as well. For example, chemotherapy indiscriminately
destroys all rapidly-growing cells (sometimes by producing large
numbers of free radicals). Therefore, while it targets cancer, it
also destroys normal hair follicles, blood-producing bone marrow
cells, the cells which line the intestine and, most importantly, the
protective cells of the immune system which are essential to the
prevention of infection. The challenge of therapy is to destroy the
cancer before the chemotherapy or other treatment mortally weakens
the patient.

It is ironic to consider that the radiation and the free radical
attacks of chemotherapy that are used to destroy the tumors may
resemble the process that caused the cancer in the first place!

While not commonly recognized by most doctors, food supplements can
be valuable adjuncts o standard cancer therapy. No compelling
evidence has emerged to prove that they interfere with chemotherapy
although some researchers have examined this possibility.
Additionally, unlike medicines which do nothing to prevent cancer,
food supplements are extremely effective at regulating the cellular
dysfunction that leads to mutation and cancer. The expression, "An
ounce of medicine is worth a pound of cure" was never more
applicable!

Mangosteen's xanthones (phytoceuticals found only in this plant)
have proven ability to destroy cancerous cells, and in fact,
Garcinone E, an xanthone, was more effective than five commonly used
chemotherapy agents for stomach, lung and liver cancer (vincristine,
mitoxantrone, 5-flourouracil, cisplastin and methotrexate) in a
recent well-designed in vitro study.

In order to understand the several means by which mangosteen
phytoceuticals protect us from cancer, I miust return for a mment to
the most accepted theory of cancer development.

Step one The genetic material (DNA) of the cell is damaged by
free radicals from pollution, metabolic residues and infection or
disease and MUTATION occurs.

Step two The damaged cell divides and begins to disobey the
rules of normal cell replication. Cancer now exist.

Step three Carcinogens then promote the development and
progression of the tumor often leading to metastases.

Where do the mangosteen phytoceuticals intervene in this deadly
process? Well, the answer is that in addition to being anti-tumor
agents when cancer already exists, they prevent and arrest cancerous
change at every step.

It is quite impossible for us to avoid exposure to carcinogens and
the free radical assaults that follow, but the antioxidants and
other active phytoceuticals in the mangosteen can provide protection
from critical cell damage. They do this by regulating gene
expression and repairing free radical damage. In other words, they
protect against cancer by helping both the policemen (genes) and the
armed forces of the body (immune system) to become more efficient at
preventing mutation in the first place.

Additionally, the biologically active elements in the mangosteen
impede the promotion and the progression of cancer when DNA damage
does occur. Finally, they attack existing tumors.

A word of caution. I've described previously in "Mangosteen, the X-
factor" the differences between medicines and phytoceuticals.

Medicines are like sledgehammers compared to the rubber mallets of
the phytoceuticals. Do not stop any cancer treatment to replace it
with mangosteen. The phytoceuticals will do their work even in the
presence of other cancer therapies. Remember also that there is no
conclusive evidence that the use of phytoceuticalsimpairs the
efficacy of chemotherapy.

Finally, while it is exciting to realize what the mangosteen
phytoceuticals will do in the area of cancer treatment, it is far
more important to prevent the development of cancer in the first
place. Nothing does it better than mangosteen. Waiting until you
develop cancer in order to learn how to deal with it just isn't
smart. You may not fel the protective work it's doing in your body,
but as the years go by the results you'll experience will be
difficult to imagine. Unfortunately, many of your friends who chose
not to supplement will not be around to celebrate your good health.