COX-2 inhibitors

Riddle Me This

It’s a puzzle.

For some years now, scientists have known that the inflammation
that triggers arthritis pain is prompted by an enzyme-protein
complex called cycloaxygenase-2 (COX-2). They also know that
when COX-2 is inhibited, inflammation and pain are reduced.

So here’s the puzzle: Drugs such as Vioxx and Celebrex
effectively block COX-2 and bring relief to arthritis patients, but as
we’ve seen over the past few weeks, the side effects can have dire,
even fatal consequences.

The solution to the puzzle is obvious: Inhibit COX-2 without
raising heart attack risk, without damaging the liver or kidneys,
and without upsetting the digestive tract. Mainstream drugs
haven’t solved this problem, but there’s an herbal formulation that
may be able to. And according to current research, this natural
COX-2 inhibitor could even be an effective cancer-fighter.

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Putting inhibition to work
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Almost a year ago, in the November 2003 HSI Members Alert, I
told you about Zyflamend; an herbal formulation that inhibits
COX-2. Research on this formulation has produced promising
results, with none of the side effects caused by COX-2-inhibiting
drugs.

A new Zyflamend study is about to begin, and this one will reveal
how effective the formulation might be in another area in which
COX-2 inhibitors have been shown to be successful: restraining
the growth of cancer cells.

Recently, scientists discovered that cancerous tissues have
unnaturally high COX-2 levels. In fact, COX-2 appears to be a key
aspect of inflammation’s role in the growth of several cancer types,
including breast, lung and colon cancer. Now researchers at the
Columbia University Medical Center have begun the first clinical
trial of Zyflamend in the prevention of prostate cancer.

The Columbia study is specifically designed to examine the effects
of Zyflamend on patients who are diagnosed with prostatic
intraepithelial neoplasia (PIN). PIN is a condition in which the
cells on the prostate gland’s surface divide more rapidly than the
rest of the prostate cells. When not treated, the progression of PIN
lays the groundwork for the development of prostate cancer.

Researchers at Columbia will examine the use of Zyflamend on
nearly 50 men, aged 40 to 75, who have been diagnosed with PIN.
The trial period will run for 18 months, so I won’t be reporting the
results until at least 2006, but the length of this study will provide
an excellent test of both the effectiveness and safety of Zyflamend.

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Cooling off
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The Columbia trial will be led by Aaron Katz, M.D., who also
headed up a Zyflamend study I told you about in the Members
Alert. In that study, Dr. Katz’ team added Zyflamend to a culture
of human prostate cancer cells. After 72 hours, the Zyflamend-
treated cultures had a 78 percent reduction in the number of cancer
cells, compared with untreated cultures. Dr. Katz believes that
Zyflamend encouraged apoptosis, or programmed cell death;
apparently doubling the activity of a specific protein involved in
apoptosis. And even among the remaining cancer cells,
reproduction was significantly repressed.

So, what exactly does Zyflamend contain that has this profound
effect on cancer cells? The formula is made up of several herbs
used for centuries as anti-inflammatories. They include:

* Holy basil (contains ursolic acid; a COX-2 inhibitor)
* Turmeric (contains curcumin; a COX-2 inhibitor)
* Ginger (inhibits both COX-2 and 5-LO, another enzyme cancer
cells need to flourish)
* Green tea (polyphenols reduce COX-2)
* Rosemary (also contains ursolic acid)
* Hu zhang (contains reservatrol; a COX-2 inhibiter)
* Chinese goldthread and barberry (both contain berberine; a
COX-2 inhibitor)
* Oregano (contains more than 30 known anti-inflammatory
compounds)
* Scutellaria (contains a phytonutrients complex; a COX-2
inhibitor)

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Treading carefully
————————————————————

With the recent notoriety of Vioxx dangers, you can’t help but
wonder if any COX-2 inhibitor – whether drug or herb – might
pose problems. But when I asked HSI Medical Adviser Martin
Milner, N.D., about the risk of gastrointestinal damage with herbal
COX-2 inhibitors, he said that using natural plant compounds as
opposed to synthetic chemicals generally produces better results
with fewer side effects. And Dr. Katz has reported that he hasn’t
seen any adverse side effects in his experiences with Zyflamend.

Still, if you decide to try Zyflamend, you should inform your
doctor to check potential interactions with other medicines you
may be taking, and watch for signs of stomach discomfort or heart
trouble. For more information about Zyflamend, you can visit the
manufacturer’s web site at new-chapter.com.

In the November Members Alert I promised to keep you informed
of further research concerning Zyflamend and cancer. I’ll be
watching for the 2006 Columbia results, but hopefully we’ll see
other studies come along in the meantime.

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Margarine or butter?

If you answered “butter,” I’ve got some information that will make
you glad you did.

Last week an HSI member sent me an e-mail that had been
forwarded multiple times, but appears to have originated from L.
Eugene Arnold, M.Ed., M.D.; a Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry
at Ohio State University. Here’s what Dr. Arnold writes:

“Do you know the difference between margarine and butter?

* Both have the same amount of calories.
* Butter is slightly higher in saturated fats at 8 grams compared to
5 grams.
* Eating margarine can increase heart disease in women by 53%
over eating the same amount of butter, according to a recent
Harvard Medical Study.
* Eating butter increases the absorption of many other nutrients in
other foods.
* Butter has many nutritional benefits where margarine has a few
only because they are added!
* For most people, butter tastes better than margarine and it can
enhance the flavors of other foods. (The best flavor claim
margarine can make in ads is that it tastes the same as butter.)
* Butter has been around for centuries where margarine has been
around for less than 100 years.

“And now, for Margarine

“And here is the part that is very interesting! Margarine is but ONE
MOLECULE away from being PLASTIC. This fact alone was
enough to have me avoiding margarine for life and anything else
that is hydrogenated (this means hydrogen is added, changing the
molecular structure of the substance).

“You can try this yourself: purchase a tub of margarine and leave it
in your garage or shaded area. Within a couple of days you will
note a couple of things: no flies, not even those pesky fruit flies
will go near it (that should tell you something) It does not rot or
smell differently. Nothing will grow on it – not even those teeny
weeny microorganisms will not find a home to grow. Why?
Because it is nearly plastic. Would you melt your Tupperware and
spread that on your toast?

“Share This With Your Friends – (Butter them up.)

“Additional info: Children who eat butter or drink whole milk with
butterfat have better resistance to infection.

“P.S. This was not sponsored by the dairy industry.”

I’ve heard some of these facts before, but some of them were new
to me, so I asked HSI Panelist Allan Spreen, M.D., for his take on
the list, and he didn’t hesitate: “Absolutely true. The guy’s read my
book. In it, I call margarine ‘plastic butter.’ It’s very, very bad
stuff. I cheat and have to drink city water sometimes. But I try
never to do that with margarine.”

The book that Dr. Spreen refers to is his “Nutritionally Incorrect:
Why the American Diet is Dangerous and How to Defend
Yourself” (Woodland Publishing).

Plastic butter! Will you ever go within ten feet of margarine again?

To Your Good Health,

Jenny Thompson
Health Sciences Institute

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Sources:
“Herbal Supplement to Prevent Prostate Cancer?”
NutraIngredients.com, 9/21/04, nutraingredients.com
“Science stumbles over life-saving miracle: Arthritis buster kills
cancer cells” HSI Members Alert, November 2003,
hsionline.com