Most treatments in allopathic medicine work by dealing strictly with specific tumors, removing them surgically, shrinking them with radiation, or killing them with chemotherapy. There also exist immunotherapies designed to support the immune system, and targeted therapies based on a “one gene, one drug” approach. Focusing on the tumor alone is not always enough to halt the cancer process, which can come with other adverse and severe side effects. Even after a tumor is removed, there is a significant chance of the cancer reoccurring. Conventional therapies almost always leave behind at least a small amount of malignant cancer cells.

Epigenetics means “on top of genetics,” and thanks to it, DNA does not always mean destiny. The mutations that happen to our DNA due to environmental stress can be repaired by a methylation process.

One of the central themes in therapeutic nutrition is controlling inflammation in the body, as this process can be extremely damaging for individuals who are fighting chronic illnesses, including cancers. Their diet requires carefully balancing nutrient intake with the inflammatory effects of the foods those nutrients come from. The main culprit here is sugar, and the problem with sugar is that it is very, very difficult to avoid. In the simplest terms, sugar is anything that is not fat.

Green tea originated in ancient China, and was introduced to the Western world via the Silk Road. At first, it was considered a luxury item that only rich Europeans could afford, used as medicine (mixed with ginger and onion) to cure mild diseases.

Soy is rich in isoflavones, which are a subgroup of phytoestrogens - weak estrogens that come from plants. They mimic the behavior of human estrogens by blocking estrogen receptor sites, and research has shown that phytoestrogens can help prevent and cure cancer. For example, treatment with phytoestrogens reversed triclosan and bisphenol A-induced anti-apoptosis in breast cancer cells.

Aflatoxins are poisonous carcinogens and mutagens that are produced by certain kinds of fungi (molds), which are found naturally all over the world in soil, decaying vegetation, hay, and grains. They are regularly found in improperly stored staple commodities such as cassava, chili peppers, cottonseed, millet, peanuts, rice, sesame seeds, sorghum, sunflower seeds, tree nuts, wheat, and various spices. When contaminated food is processed, aflatoxins enter the general food supply, where they have been found both in pet and human foods, as well as food stock for agricultural animals. Animals that are fed contaminated food can pass aflatoxin transformation products into eggs, milk products and meat. Children are particularly affected by aflatoxin exposure, which is associated with stunted growth, delayed development, liver damage, and liver cancer.

Chronic inflammation and oxidative stress are considered to be the primary precursors and causes of cancer. So how do we develop inflammation? What are the differences between acute and chronic inflammation? And what are therapeutic approaches for keeping inflammation under control?

The three most common gastrointestinal (GI) cancers are esophageal, gastric and colorectal. In all three types, studies have shown that pickled, fermented and preserved foods could be a contributing factor.

Oxidative stress occurs when there is an imbalance between free radicals and antioxidants in the body. When functioning properly, free radicals can help fight off pathogens. However, when there are more free radicals in the body than our antioxidants can handle, the free radicals can start doing damage to fatty tissue, DNA, and proteins. Over time, this damage can lead to various diseases, including cancer.

Evolutionary medicine suggests that the end of the Paleolithic era (the “Stone Age,” lasting from roughly 2.5 million years ago to about 10,000 BCE) was marked by our ancestors transitioning to what we now call the “modern” diet and lifestyle. This was a radical change for human bodies, which had adapted genetically to Paleolithic demands. As a result, evolutionary medicine argues, our modern lifestyle is causing us to deal with modern problems, including the increasing incidence of diseases such as cancer.

Starting in the 1920s and until his death in 1959, German-born American doctor Max Gerson developed and promoted a diet consisting of primarily raw foods - with an emphasis on fresh fruit and vegetable juices - as an alternative treatment for cancer.

Amino acids are molecules that link up to create proteins. Proteins are chains of amino acids that serve a particular function depending on what sequence they form. There are some 50,000 different proteins in the body. Dietary proteins are broken down in the course of digestion into amino acids, which reassemble into new proteins to suit the body’s specific needs.

Fats are a class of macronutrients known as lipids. Lipids are made of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, and provide more energy per gram than carbohydrates due to the greater number of carbon and hydrogen atoms they contain.

B vitamins are widely used throughout the body as enzyme cofactors, particularly in energy metabolism. The need for vitamins increases during stress, illness, cancer, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy.

Phytochemicals are chemical compounds that occur naturally in plants and come in thousands of forms. They are what gives plants their distinct color, odor, and flavor - and clinical research shows that they can provide specific health and medical benefits.

Our modern crucifers developed from wild plants that grow in the eastern Mediterranean region. In the wild, cruciferous veggies look much like today’s kale, with leafy greens and without a crown or central head.