Cancer and the Search for Selective Biochemical Inhibitors, Second Edition

Published:
June 25, 2007 by CRC Press - 480 Pages
Author(s):
E.J. Hoffman, Laramie, Wyoming, USA

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$169.95
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ISBN 9781420045932
Cat# 45938
 

Features

  • Reviews the wealth of information available from a wide range of sources about anticancer plants and herbs
  • Explores bodily biochemical processes, how enzymes and enzyme inhibitors are involved, and how this knowledge assists in the treatment of cancer
  • Examines how conventional chemotherapy merges with concepts of alternative and complementary medicine
  • Covers the biochemistry of cancer and how this knowledge can aid patients and practitioners in treatment
  • Includes some of the more unusual esoterica about cancer and its causes, treatment, and cures
  • Discusses cancerous stem cells and the search for natural and synthetic biochemicals and chemicals that will inhibit the key enzyme involved, namely tyrosine kinase

    • Summary

    The world of medicine has become splintered into two factions, that of orthodoxy and its counterpart, alternative or complementary medicine. A problem with alternative medicine is, of course, that of anecdote and hearsay. The solution: the disclosure, in an unassailable fashion, of the underlying biochemical principles for alternative cancer therapies.

    Cancer and the Search for Selective Biochemical Inhibitors, Second Edition delineates the underlying biochemical principles for alternative cancer therapies. Completely revised and updated, this edition includes coverage of the link between concepts and practices of alternative and conventional medicine. The author examines anticancer plant substances and other alternatives such as Vitamin C, essiac tea, shark cartilage, and cat’s claw. The text also addresses the problem of determining selective and non-toxic enzyme inhibitors for cancer cell metabolic pathways.

    While an increased number of allopathic professionals are in tune with alternative therapies, the integration of the two factions is far from the norm. Keeping the same format that made its predecessor a benchmark text, this book compares complementary, alternative, and integrative treatments with chemotherapy and other more traditional treatments.

    Table of Contents

    Crossroads
    Introduction
    The Nutritional Brouhaha
    The Ponderables of Biochemistry
    Troubles of Mind
    What Seems to Work
    Scourges in the Making
    Remedies in Nature
    Poisons in Nature
    From the Ordinary to the Bizarre
    The Environment, Naturally and Not So Naturally
    Where to from Here?
    Cancer Origins and Characteristics
    Introduction
    Cancer Formation and Oncogenes
    Types of Cancers
    Pleomorphism
    Viral or Microbial Origins and Treatments
    Viruses and Lysogeny
    Viruses and Subviruses
    Antiviral Agents
    Immune Reactions
    Vaccines

    Biochemical Insights


    The Warburg Cancer Theory
    Cell Metabolism
    Enzyme-Catalyzed Metabolic Pathways
    Overall Glycolytic Conversions
    Cancer Cell Metabolism vs. Normal Cell Metabolism
    Selective Biochemical Inhibitors
    The Tricarboxylic Cycle and Respiration
    Vitamins and Hormones as Inhibitors or Promoters
    Chemotherapy Drugs as Enzyme Inhibitors
    More on Folic Acid
    Enzyme Transformations

    Starting at the Genetic Level


    DNA, RNA, and Protein Synthesis
    The Ubiquitous Roles of Proteins
    Genetics as Science
    Digestive Processes
    Proteases and Their Inhibitors
    Protein Degradation Rates
    The Influence of Antibiotics
    DNA Replication and Alteration
    Chemoprevention
    Commentary
    Enzymatic Biochemical Treatment Protocols
    Enzymes
    Enzyme Inhibitors
    Enzyme Inhibition in Modern Medicine
    Enzyme Inhibitors for Melanoma
    Diet
    Dietary Extremes
    Iron in the Diet
    Garlic and Allicin and Other Sulfur-Containing Compounds as Anticancer Agents
    Aberrations
    Immunity
    Cancer Markers
    High-Tech vs. Low-Tech
    Footdragging on Using Enzyme Inhibitors
    The Alternative Scene
    An Introduction to Alternatives
    Some Alternatives, Information Sources, and Assessments
    More About the Plant World
    Poisonous and Medicinal Plants
    Plants and Herbs as Agents Against Other Diseases
    Selectivity
    The Nitrogen Connection and Immunotherapy
    Alkaloids and Bioactivity
    Microorganisms and Immunity
    In Short Summary

    Surveying Anticancer Plant Substances


    Status of Plants Against Cancer
    Laetrile Quandaries
    Plants of the American West and Southwest
    Chaparral
    Other Plants and Herbs
    South Africa
    China
    Soviet Union
    Mexico
    Australia
    Egypt and Israel
    United States
    Great Britain
    Still Other Options
    Mystique Surrounding Cancer Cures
    Miscellaneous
    Neo Tropica
    Some Further Alternatives
    Successes vs. Failures
    Biological Response
    On Overcoming the Intractability of Cancer
    Cell Resistance and Some Consequences
    Alternative Treatment: The Status Quo
    Controversies
    Heroic Efforts
    More about Compound-X and the Like
    An Update on News and Views
    Cancer Directives
    The Continuing Legacy of Wayne Martin and Compatriots
    More of the Latest on Alternatives
    Magnesium
    Peripherals
    Subviral Agents: Prions
    More on DNA
    More on Diet
    The Navajo and Cancer
    Cancer Esoterica
    The Morphism of Cancer Cells
    Electromagnetic Phenomena and Cancer
    Some Inexplicables
    Metastasis, Resistance, and Aberrations
    More on Immunity
    Bioterrorism
    The Halogens and Cause and Cure
    The Effect of Toxins in the Environment
    More on Chemotherapy, Alkaloids, and Other Plant Biochemicals
    Recourses
    Circling the Wagons
    More on Genetic Modification or Engineering
    Vaccination and Cancer
    Telomerase Inhibitors
    Histone Diacetylase Inhibitors
    Markers for Monitoring Cancer Growth and Remission
    Moral and Ethical Quandaries

    The Inhibition of Cancerous Stem Cells


    The Subject of Stem Cells and Cancer
    Cancerous Stem Cells and Immunity
    Inhibition of Cancerous Stem Cells
    Tyrosine Kinase
    Plant Sources for Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors

    A Summing Up

    Index

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