Category: Integrative Cancer Support

Steve Parcell, ND History EDTA chelation therapy is approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a treatment for lead and heavy metal poisoning. About one million people in the United States are treated with EDTA chelation therapy every year. Chelation therapy is a medical treatment that improves cellular function by removing toxic metals (such as lead and arsenic) and abnormally elevated tissue levels of nutritional minerals (such as cobalt and iron). EDTA is best administered intravenously (through a vein). EDTA is the abbreviation for the chemical compound ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid invented in the 1940s by Gerold Schwarzenbach. Interest in chelation was high during World War II as a treatment for arsenic poisoning after being exposed to poison gas. Researchers then learned that EDTA removed other toxic metals (metallic ions) as well.  During the cold war interest in EDTA stemmed from its ability to detoxify radioactive isotopes. A metallic ion is the scientific name for metals in their charged unbound state.  They can be negatively or positively charged. Common ions include  iron (Fe2+), zinc (Zn2+), Magnesium(Mg2+), Calcium( Ca2+), lead(Pb2+), copper(Cu3+) and mercury (Hg2+). In the 1950s the medical use of EDTA began to pick up speed after a group of workers...

Steve Parcell, ND Erectile dysfunction and low libido are common problems here in my Boulder practice. Should low testosterone be identified as the problem, testosterone administration would be indicated, assuming there are no contraindications such as prostate cancer and there are no obvious neurologic explanations for a lack of sensation such as multiple sclerosis. This is because the integrity of the dorsal nerve is androgen dependent. If the patient is on a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) anti-depressant or another medication known to inhibit ejaculation such as a sympatholytic agent, discussion should ensue with the prescribing physician to seek an alternative class of drug. Dopamine agonist therapy may be helpful to men with erectile dysfunction (ED) including low sexual interest (HSDD) and orgasm problems. This is a particularly helpful treatment for men who suffer from depression, have been treated for cancer or have high levels of prolactin. Sexual behavior is modulated by a number of central nervous system neurotransmitters including dopamine. Dopamine agonists have been reported to improve sexual function. It is postulated that the increased levels of dopamine in the brain from dopamine agonists facilitate sexual functions including sexual interest and orgasm. These changes are induced, in part, by...

By Kelly Parcell, ND One of the greatest areas of confusion and natural medicine today, especially in Boulder, is the subject of bioidentical hormones.  Consumers, practitioners, manufacturers and the media all contribute to some of this misunderstanding.  How are bioidentical hormones different from synthetic hormones?  A bioidentical hormone is a hormone that is biochemically identical to the human hormone. You have wanted to try estrogen but are wary of side effects and possible dangers.  You heard that premarin is made from pregnant horse’s urine (pre-mar-in ....pregnant mare's urine...get it?). This type of estrogen is nothing like human estrogen.  You may have heard that synthetic estrogens can increase risk of blood clots, breast and uterine cancer. Most people don't know that there are three dominant estrogens in the human body: estradiol, estrone, and estriol.  All three of these types of estrogen can be synthesized from plants in the laboratory.  Typical plants used in this process are the Mexican yam and the soybean.  With soybeans a compound called beta-sitosterol is extracted and through a number of enzymatic reactions the lab can make either estradiol, estrone, as trial, progesterone, DHEA, and even testosterone.  The end product is called natural because it is biochemically identical...

The importance of dietary intake cannot be underestimated when it comes to preventing and managing cancer. Research continues to elucidate the link between low sugar/high protein/healthy fat diets and cancer prevention/chemoprevention. Understanding just how to stabalize blood sugar and retrict dietary intake of sugar is of high importance in our society. Below is one of several abstracts linking the type of dietary intake (limited sugar consumption) to cancer prevention. Our food is our medicine. With it we can make changes in our lives, our health, our future wellbeing and the lives of others. How and what to eat remain large tenents in my practice. Their benefit is highly evident. Cancer Res. 2011 Jul 1;71(13):4484-93. doi: 10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-10-3973. Epub 2011 Jun 14. A low carbohydrate, high protein diet slows tumor growth and prevents cancer initiation. Ho VW, Leung K, Hsu A, Luk B, Lai J, Shen SY, Minchinton AI, Waterhouse D, Bally MB, Lin W, Nelson BH, Sly LM, Krystal G. Source The Terry Fox Laboratory, BC Cancer Research Centre, BC Cancer Agency, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Gastroenterology, BC Children's Hospital & University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Abstract Since cancer cells depend on glucose more than normal cells, we compared the effects of low...

Another case for assuring correct supplement/herbal use with your Naturopathic Doctor. from Science Now (8.9.2013): Common Herbal Supplement Linked to Cancer Carsten Niehaus/Creative Commons Vicious vine. Leafy, flowery vines called Aristolochia are used in an herbal supplement that may cause cancer. SHANGHAI, CHINA—Many people turn to herbal supplements to improve their health. In China, belief in traditional medicine is so strong that pharmacies peddle unprocessed herbs alongside modern pharmaceuticals. But an ingredient found in certain supplements may be as cancerous as smoking, two new studies have found. The ingredient in question is aristolochic acid, a compound found in leafy, flowery vines called Aristolochia, or birthwort. For centuries, birthwort has been used in traditional medicine in China (and ancient Greece before that) to treat arthritis and ease childbirth, among other conditions. (The flower is shaped like a uterus.) Today aristolochic acid—pronounced "a-ris-to-LOW-kick”—is found in supplements for weight loss, menstrual symptoms, and rheumatism. It’s widely used in Asia, where it’s added to medicinal wine, ointments, and diet pills. One study found that between 1997 and 2003, fully one-third of Taiwanese were prescribed birthwort supplements by a Chinese medicine practitioner. Warnings about the herb first emerged in the early 1990s, when a scandal...