Fortunately the zeolilte zombies have been giving me a wide berth these days: the “science heavies” from Waiora who contacted HERBLOG threatening to set me straight about the science of my challenges to their rubbish literature in person never materialized. Pity. However, in the MLM universe it appears that zeolite is continuing to mint money for its upliners and dupe its gullible downliners. There’s one born every minute as they say. Today we received an interesting note from an editor of “LITMUSZINE” an informed but informal science on-line zine with the first of a feature series on the zeolite scam. Author Jake Reimer ruthlessly debunks the so called credentials of Rik Deitsch, Waiora’s so called chief scientific advisor who authored the shabby “Scientific Research Document” that purports to underpin the science of zeolite as a cure-all. Read the article here. But particulalry amusing is a neat pdf file from Reimer showing Dietsch’s document side by side with abstracts of articles which he literally cut and pasted to “write” his article. Read the pdf here.
Now there is nothing wrong with quoting another author’s conclusions or discussions, providing you clearly do so with attributions, but this is simple plagiarism. And the intent is clearly to fool the lay reader into thinking that the author knows what he is talking about - which he clearly does not - as was pointed out in many earlier HERBLOG posts. So Dietsch tries to bamboozle his cohorts not just about his non-existent scientific credentials, but he plagiarizes abstracts while claiming he is writing a scientific monograph.
Chief scientific advisor? You pays yer money and makes yer choice… (more…)

An extraordinary set of photographs entitled a Mother’s Journey by accomplished news photographer Renée Byer , currently of the Sacramento Bee has been awarded the Pulitzer Prize for feature photography this year.. The series of 20 photographs are described as an “intimate portrayal of a single mother and her young son as he loses his battle with cancer”. I would recommend taking some quiet time to absorb these deeply moving photographs taken of young Derek Maden and his mother Cyndie French during their 11 month journey with his neuroblastoma diagnosis. It is rare for those outside the confines of pediatric oncology to be able to glimpse this world, and these pictures honor not only Derek and Cyndie, but all children and young people with cancer challenge, their families and care givers, and the humbling work of pediatric oncologists.

In all the hysteria about potential interactions between herbs and chemotherapy (which is entirely unsubstantiated by case reports of any such interactions at all) a study such as this is welcome. Medical marijuana use is not uncommon by cancer patients, both during chemo and otherwise, to help deal with a range of problems including nausea, anorexia, and pain control. The vast majority of data suggest that herbs can be used to reduce toxicity and increase efficacy of chemotherapy. The facts are the facts.

Medicinal cannabis does not influence the clinical pharmacokinetics of irinotecan and docetaxel.:

Oncologist. 2007 Mar;12(3):291-300. Engels FK, de Jong FA, Sparreboom A, Mathot RA, Loos WJ, Kitzen JJ, de Bruijn P, Verweij J, Mathijssen RH

Objective. To date, data regarding the potential of cannabinoids to modulate cytochrome P450 isozyme 3A (CYP3A) activity are contradictory. Recently, a standardized medicinal cannabis product was introduced in The Netherlands. We anticipated an increased use of medicinal cannabis concurrent with anticancer drugs, and undertook a drug-interaction study to evaluate the effect of concomitant medicinal cannabis on the pharmacokinetics of irinotecan and docetaxel, both subject to CYP3A-mediated biotransformation. Patients and Methods. Twenty-four cancer patients were treated with i.v. irinotecan (600 mg, n = 12) or docetaxel (180 mg, n = 12), followed 3 weeks later by the same drugs concomitant with medicinal cannabis (200 ml herbal tea, 1 g/l) for 15 consecutive days, starting 12 days before the second treatment. Blood samples were obtained up to 55 hours after dosing and analyzed for irinotecan and its metabolites (SN-38, SN-38G), respectively, or docetaxel. Pharmacokinetic analyses were performed during both treatments. Results are reported as the mean ratio (95% confidence interval [CI]) of the observed pharmacokinetic parameters with and without concomitant medicinal cannabis. Results. Medicinal cannabis administration did not significantly influence exposure to and clearance of irinotecan (1.04; CI, 0.96-1.11 and 0.97; CI, 0.90-1.05, respectively) or docetaxel (1.11; CI, 0.94-1.28 and 0.95; CI, 0.82-1.08, respectively). Conclusion. Coadministration of medicinal cannabis, as herbal tea, in cancer patients treated with irinotecan or docetaxel does not significantly influence the plasma pharmacokinetics of these drugs. The evaluated variety of medicinal cannabis can be administered concomitantly with both anticancer agents without dose adjustments. Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest is found at the end of this article.

PMID: 17405893 [PubMed - in process]

MSKCC STARTED THE ANTIOXIDANT/CHEMO SCARE MYTH

Foremost among the myths that are used to terrify cancer patients into thinking that dietary supplements and botanicals are dangerous and contraindicated during conventional treatment is the notion that antioxidants interfere with chemotherapy. Now, although the topic is still regarded by some as controversial, the facts are that the overwhelming amount of data that suggest that this is not only absolutely incorrect but that precisely the opposite is true, ie that antioxidant supplementation, especially high doses of dietary agents A, C, and E, can reduce toxicities and enhance efficacy of most chemotherapy. These agents also have a range of antineoplastic effects distinct from their beneficial interactions with chemotherapy. Where did this myth come from?

Guess where - MSKCC.
Well like many myths, it started with a press report - an interview with Dr Larry Norton of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center quoted on the front page of the NYT on October 26 1997. Norton was quoted as saying that “large doses of Vitamin C could blunt the efficacy of chemotherapy for breast cancer” based on research carried out at MSKCC. In fact, the research was not published at the time, and when it was, two years later, it was an experimental study with mouse cancer cells looking at Vitamin C transport - and had nothing to do with the statements by Norton published by NYT. In 1999, an actual press conference was held by the authors of the paper when it was finally published, and they were quoted as saying ” ..large amounts of Vitamin C could interfere with with the effects of chemotherapy or even radiation therapy.”

So with a selective quote 10 years ago from an interview about an unpublished research paper, followed by a press conference 2 years later on the single mouse study that had nothing to do with the claims about chemo and antioxidants, the position against Vitamins and antioxidants was rapidly adopted by all mainstream web sites, from the ranting loony right like Quackwatch through to the American Cancer Society. The rest as they say, is history.

One thing is clear - anyone who thinks there is not an anti-herb /supplement disinformation program being conducted needs to wake up and just look at the facts. Memorial Sloan Kettering is one of the main propagandists in this field, and to their shame, it is to the detriment of cancer patients deluded by the MSKCC’s non existent “authority” in the field.

( The information about Norton in this post was in part drawn on the account given by Simone, Simone, Simone, and Simone in a recent two part article in Alternative Therapies entitled Antioxidants and Other Nutrients Do Not Interfere With Chemotherapy or Radiation Therapy and can Increase Kill and Increase Survival) This is also one of the several useful reviews that document the overwhelming evidence against the MSKCC originated myth about antioxidants and chemo.