THE UGLY………

EBC-46 is the name given to a new plant-based medicine which is being touted as the next ‘miracle’ cancer cure. EBC- 46 is being produced by an Australian company, QBiotics, (owned by ‘Ecobiotics),’ and, understandably, the product has received quite a bit of media attention. So, is EBC-46 going to change our lives forever or is it all just PR hype?

This article discusses what is known about the product so far and the potential pros and cons of this new treatment and whether or not there will be any real benefits for the future of human and animal health.

EBC-46 is a new drug that is being investigated for its ability to suppress cancerous solid tumours in animals, even those that have been considered inoperable. The drug is produced by isolating a chemical from the seed of the fruit from the ‘Blushwood’ plant (Euphorbia spp.) which grows in northern Queensland, Australia.

To date, it has been used on a number of animal species including dogs, cats and horses and the trials have involved the localised treatment on a variety of cancerous forms. So far, it has been shown to ‘cure’ or reduce the cancerous growths very rapidly, while avoiding any significant adverse effects. Thus far, the drug has been injected directly into the tumour or it has been applied topically to the surface of the tumour, thereby, requiring the tumour site to be accessible, in order for treatment to be possible. The beneficial actions are theorised to be due to immune system stimulation via the multiplication of neutrophils (white blood cells), resulting in the elimination of the tumour. The company is continuing its trials on animals and human cancer trials are set to begin in 2011.

According to QBiotics, EBC-46 holds great hope in the treatment of the following forms of cancer:

• Skin cancers including Melanomas, Squamous Cell Carcinomas (SCC) & Basal Cell Carcinomas (BCC)
• Head & neck cancers
• Breast cancers
• Prostate cancers
• Other tumours where injection can be guided by imaging

THE GOOD

* It may potentially extend the lives of millions of animals and humans.

* The treatment so far has not appeared to cause any significant harmful side effects to the animals that have been treated (although I feel that independent, large scale, long-term studies would need to be conducted to verify these claims).

* The drug appears to work in a unique manner compared to the usual chemotherapy drugs and therefore offers hope in the treatment of localised solid tumour growths.

* It is utilizing natural plant medicine and not synthetic drugs.

* It may encourage farmers to plant more trees rather than continue to cut them down – which is always a good thing! Throughout the world, various farming communities continue to wipe out forests as a means of earning income - putting the planet at greater risk of global warming. As it is the seeds from these trees that are being used as medicine, rather than the roots, this helps ensure the sustainability of this particular tree species. 

  THE BAD

• Only a small amount of animals have been tested to date (just over 100). In comprehensive clinical trials, there are normally thousands of cases tested before there are any conclusions made about the possibility of positive or negative treatment outcomes. However, trials are continuing.

• The studies have not been conducted ‘independently’ (i.e. By a university or similar entity that does not have any financial interest in the company or its products).

• EBC-46 has not been shown to produce any systemic effects and therefore has not demonstrated any effect on tumours that exist away from the localised tumour being treated. In other words, if any secondary tumours are present elsewhere in the body, EBC-46 has not been shown to have any effect on them.

• In the media, the animals shown to be responding positively to treatment were all either moderately old or very old. It is well known that tumour growth in older animals (including humans), can often tend to be slow and they are not usually the aggressive type of tumours as seen in younger animals. It could be that there have been positive results in younger animals too, but if the clinical trials have mainly or only focussed on geriatric specimens, then the results may be misleading.

• Furthermore, as it appears that the animals that have been treated have all been elderly – it would seem that no long-term studies have been possible.

• Nature designed plant medicines to work wonderfully and effectively in all of their glory – where the plant is used as it should be and not taken to a laboratory where one (toxic) ingredient (out of the plants 500 ingredients) is isolated and then highly concentrated. There doesn’t appear to be too much of a difference between this synthesis and one where a chemical is produced in a lab and then concentrated to toxic levels. You see, when plant medicines are used by trained herbalists (that study for many years), the herbalists learn what each of the components of the plant are used for and we usually find that nature designed the plant medicines to work in synergy…….one part of the plant will often help counteract the toxic effects of the other part, when used correctly. When only one part is isolated though, and the rest of the plant is discarded, it increases the likelihood of side effects and long term effects (just like the well known potentially toxic effects of pharmaceutical drugs).

• It will be interesting to see what the orthodox medical profession and the pharmaceutical companies have to say about this new drug and it will be interesting to see how these very powerful lobby groups will respond to a private company taking away some of their future profits if and when the ‘miracle’ cancer cure becomes a reality for humans. Big Pharma usually manages to sway government into agreeing to all sorts of things that may not be in the best interest of human health……. So stay tuned to see how much they will be able to control government decisions to permit this new drug. Conspiracy theorists may be tempted to say that they will somehow denigrate the new drug to such a degree that no-one will seek it…………or, they may bombard the public with a huge amount of propaganda that involves ‘natural cancer cures’ from all over the place….so much so that everyone just ends up confused and doesn’t know who, or what, to trust anymore….so they end up just sticking with the established medical profession in the hope that they know what they are doing ! J

THE UGLY

This is the MOST important part of this discussion (or for that matter, in my opinion, the most important aspect of any cancer treatment that focuses only on tumour suppression)………..

The naturopathic philosophy on cancer development is that cancer is never an isolated condition. Therefore, I feel that ‘removing’ or ‘shrinking’ a tumour from one part of the body does not address the ‘whole body’ health of the cancer sufferer and the reason why they developed the disease in the first place. This lack of consideration for the body as a whole, may strongly increase the likelihood of the cancer returning and/or spreading throughout the body.

Cancer should be considered as a ‘whole’ disease and when cancer develops in a person or animal, their whole body should be treated, not just the tumour alone. There are a large range of potential cancer causes such as toxicity caused by an incorrect diet or exposure to harmful chemicals; hormonal imbalances; nutrient deficiencies and a number of other possible causes (for more information on this topic, read my booklet ‘Canine Cancer – Treating It The Natural Way’ that comes Free when you purchase ‘Heal Your Dog Naturally’: www.HealYourDogNaturally.com  (This booklet also includes my ‘Top 10 Anti-Cancer Nutrients’ and ‘Top 10 Anti-Cancer Foods’).

An example of addressing the underlying cause is when a tumour develops on a female dog’s mammary glands. Tumours that grow in the reproductive system (mammary glands, uterus, etc.) are often a result of long-term oestrogen imbalances. If the tumour is removed without identifying and treating the cause, the cancer has a high likelihood of spreading and ultimately ending the life of the dog. However, if the dog was accurately assessed in the first place, when they first developed the symptoms of a hormonal imbalance, the oestrogen dominant condition that is usually responsible for this type of cancer would have been identified and treated and the dog may never have developed cancer in the first place.

This is preventative health care at its best.

As a Naturopathic Physician with a scientific background, this is what I do every day ………put the jigsaw pieces together and solve the mystery of health imbalances: Preferably before the animal or human develops any serious disease but, if not, at least they usually stand a much better chance of a full recovery from their health problems when the underlying cause(s) are addressed.

When cancer has already developed but it is treated in a ‘holistic’ manner – where the underlying causes are found and rectified and the immune system is strengthened and supported to enable it to function optimally – the immune system has a much better chance of eliminating the cancer cells itself. Indeed, the body has a wonderful capacity for healing, when it is in balance.

So, getting back to EBC-46:

If EBC-46 was used as a localised treatment on tumours in conjunction with the correct treatment that addressed the underlying causes of the cancer – it may be beneficial to those with solid tumour growth and could offer cancer sufferers hope, especially those that have been diagnosed with an inoperable tumour.

Please note:

EBC-46 comes from the seed of the fruit from the ‘Blushwood,’ which is one of the Euphorbia species of plants and it is not surprising to know that trained herbalists, like myself, have always been aware of the ability for this plant species to treat localised cancer growths successfully. Indeed, this species was well covered in one of my first herbal medicine text books when I was studying herbal medicine many years ago. The Euphorbias are a toxic plant species and therefore extreme caution needs to be used when handling these plants. No-one should ever use these plants to treat themselves or their animals without the professional supervision of a well-trained herbalist as to do so could be fatal.

Yours In Health,
Sara Rooney BHSc., ND., DC., DASc., GDSc. (Hons) Zoology, MATMS.
Naturopathic Physician & Health Scientist
www.AnimalNaturopath.com.au                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         www.HealYourDogNaturally.com

I’m sorry I haven’t had the opportunity to post any articles lately but I have been in Queensland for two weeks attending conferences and seminars. In order to keep up with the latest scientific knowledge in naturopathic medicine, it is necessary for me to travel fairly regularly to find out about the most effective treatments for various conditions in dogs and humans. Now that I am back and have almost caught up with heavy consulting commitments, I will post an article soon in relation to a natural cancer cure: The Good, The Bad and the Ugly!

Yours in Great Health,
Sara Rooney BHSc., DC., ND., DASc., GDSc. (Hons) Zoology, MATMS.
www.HealYourDogNaturally.com                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         www.AnimalNaturopath.com.au

Scientists now know that the foundation of good immune system health and disease prevention in all species of animals primarily begins in the gut. The correct balance of healthy microflora (‘Probiotics’) as well as beneficial nutrients and herbs (’Prebiotics’) that increase and maintain these useful bacterial species,  forms the core elements of optimum immune health. Get this balance right and the whole immune system will benefit. If your dog is only fed a meat-based diet, chances are high that they will have a deficiency of these essential nutrients.

So What Are ‘Probiotics’ and ‘Prebiotics’ and Why Does My Dog Need Them?

Probiotics are microbial supplements (also known as ‘friendly’ bacteria) which improve the balance of intestinal flora. Probiotics vary according to their genus, species and strain. While all probiotics are considered safe and friendly in a broad sense, because the beneficial effects for different disorders and conditions are species and strain specific - not all probiotics possess enough health benefits to be considered therapeutic. This is why you should always consult your qualified animal naturopath for individual advice about the right supplements for your dog.

What Can Probiotics Do?
• Help maintain general wellbeing and healthy digestive system function.
• Reduce the side-effects of antibiotic therapy such as diarrhoea and yeast infections.
• Control urinary tract infections.
• Protect against intestinal pathogens and help manage infectious diarrhoea.
• Improve immune resistance against other infections.
• Reduce allergic symptoms and help in the management of atopy and/or food sensitivities.
• Assist in the management of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS).
• Reduce systemic inflammation.  

Prebiotics are macronutrients that act as a food source for probiotic bacteria. They are non-digestible glyconutrients, which are fermented in the digestive system into short chain fatty acids such as butyrate, which feed beneficial bacteria and assist in the repair of the gut wall. Specific classes of highly therapeutic prebiotics include:

* Arabinogalactans
Arabinogalactans are a breakthrough in glyconutrient technology. This purified form of soluble vegetable dietary fibre has remarkable prebiotic activity. They are easily incorporated into your dog’s food and are well tolerated. Derived from certain parts of the Western Larch tree (Larix occidentalis) and commercially extracted with water, these glyconutrients provide a non-dairy source of premium prebiotic substances.

* Galacto-oligosaccharides
These medium chain saccharides are derived from milk sugars and may support the growth of beneficial bacteria in the colon by providing probiotics with a fuel source. The unique fermentation process used to produce these prebiotics minimises the potential side-effects of flatulence.

* Colostrum
Bioactive proteins in bovine colostrum, including immunoglobulins, lactoferrin, and lactoperoxidase, may also be useful in promoting a well-balanced intestinal microflora. Immunoglobulins are protein molecules that function as antibodies and may protect the host from harmful microorganisms. For maximal therapeutic effect a minimum of 40% IgG immunoglobulins should be present. Colostrum may assist in maintaining healthy gastrointestinal mucosa and enhancing intestinal Th1 lymphocyte (immune) activity.

What You Need To Do For Your Dog:
Consult a qualified and experienced animal naturopath for advice regarding the best probiotic and prebiotic for your dog. Different strains of probiotics and certain prebiotic substances provide specific benefits. For example, if your dog is vulnerable to heart disease they may benefit from the probiotic species, L. plantarum 299V, as this has been shown in scientific research to reduce cardiovascular risk markers, whereas other probiotic species tested did not show these benefits. Cancer prevention, on the other hand, responded to distinctly different probiotic bacterial species. Therefore, if your dog is a breed that may be vulnerable to developing cancer, such as Boxers and Bull Mastiffs, you may want to give your dog these specific probiotic species to help with disease prevention. When giving your dog probiotics, always support the maintenance of beneficial bacteria in the gut by providing high-quality prebiotic powders in their food as well. Prebiotics encourage the increase in ‘good’ bacteria which, in turn, help promote optimum immune system function.

By feeding your dog a healthy natural diet along with individually-prescribed probiotics and prebiotics you may help your dog to live a very long, happy and high-quality life. What more could your dog ask for?

Yours In Great Health,

Sara Rooney BHSc., ND., DC., DASc., GDSc. (Hons) Zoology, MATMS.

Naturopathic Physician & Research Scientist

Naturopathic Animal Services

www.AnimalNaturopath.com.au

www.HealYourDogNaturally.com

www.CanineNaturopath.com

www.DogNaturopath.com

In the case of arthritis in dogs, depending on the individual case history of the pet and depending on how severe their symptoms are, I may also prescribe herbal treatments such as Curcuma longa (Turmeric), Boswelia and Olea europaea (Olive leaf) and other herbal medicines, in conjunction with the liquid cartilage formula described earlier.  Herbs and nutrients, such as glutamine, Aloe vera and probiotics, which support the dog’s gastrointestinal system may also be used, if digestive system problems are involved in the condition. However, these should only be given under professional guidance.

*This product is only available through registered, qualified practitioners. Please contact our centre at: info@animalnaturopath.com.au  if you want to organize an online health assessment for your dog, so that this product can be prescribed.

Case Study:
Arthritis in Dog, Chronic Limp and Weakness in Leg
Gracie is a 6 year old Golden Retriever/Labrador X that had suffered from a limp in her back leg since she was a 6 month old puppy, along with trembling and weakness in the same leg. This problem was diagnosed as arthritis and lack of joint mobility by a veterinarian. In the past, Gracie had been given omega 3 fish oils, glucosamine and chondroitin by the owner with no success, as Gracie would not take them due to the bad taste. Gracie’s owners then contacted me for advice.

After an online assessment of Gracie’s health was completed, I prescribed many of the products described above for Gracie’s treatment. Gracie’s owners were then able to easily access these (direct from the manufacturer of the naturopathic medicine company from where I prescribed them).

2 weeks into Gracie’s treatment I received this email from her owner:
“I wanted to let you know that Gracie is doing well. We do not expect the limp to remedy quickly (due to her having it since she was 6 months old) but she has sparked up tremendously and looks a lot happier, wrestling with ‘Emma’ the Labrador and playing like a puppy again. Her fur seems softer and she has a shine in her eyes again. Other people have also noticed. The best part is that we have no trouble adding the supplements to the food. I was expecting a battle but she happily eats it.”

6 weeks into treatment we received this email from Gracie’s owners:
“I am happy to report that the limp is nowhere near as pronounced as before and there are times when Gracie is walking normally again. For the past 10 days or so she has been spontaneously jumping in and out of the van and has been taking longer walks and runs around the lake. We are now confident that in due course the leg will not be the chronic source of pain for her anymore”.

10 weeks after starting Gracies treatment:
“Our dog walking friends took them out on Sunday and they were gone a full 45 minutes and Gracie was still tugging the lead when they got back. For the first time ever, they were worn out before the dogs. Johnny had not seen them for a while and could not get over the difference. The best part is that the next day, there was no limp or stiffness visible in Gracie’s leg at all.

Kind regards
Karen and Max Mitchell
Goolwa Fish Café
Goolwa, SA

Gracie Mitchell

I just thought I would share this case report with you. I hope you enjoyed it.

Yours In Health,
Sara Rooney BHSc., DC., ND., DASc., GDSc. (Hons) Zoology, MATMS.                                                                                                                                                                                                             Naturopathic Physician & Research Scientist

www.AnimalNaturopath.com.au                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               www.HealYourDogNaturally.com

Optimum levels of Vit. D3 have been shown to help prevent cancer and to positively effect the following conditions:

* Obesity
* Heart Disease
* Diabetes
* Dementia
* Skin conditions such as atopic dermatitis
* Gum disease
* Teeth cavities
* Bone disorders
* Hormonal imbalances
* Depression
* A number of autoimmune disorders
* Many other health disorders

Is your dog deficient in this vital nutrient?

Well, that depends on whether or not there are adequate levels in their diet. Unlike humans, dogs (and cats) cannot synthesize adequate levels of vitamin D3 through their skin. Therefore, if you believe that your pooch wouldn’t be vitamin D deficient because they are always outside and receive plenty of sunshine, this may not be the case at all as dogs are reliant on the dietary intake of vitamin D. Vitamin D3 is the form of vitamin D which is of animal origin and is the most beneficial to dogs. Vitamin D2 is of plant origin and can still be useful, but vitamin D3 is required in larger amounts.

Sources of vitamin D3

Good sources of vitamin D3 for your dog include oily fish such as sardines, salmon and herring. Veal, beef and egg yolks also provide good amounts of vitamin D.  If you feel that your dog requires supplementation for vitamin D3, you may like to try a high quality cod liver oil supplement. I give our dogs and cats a few drops of a pure, cod liver oil liquid once a day, mixed in with their food just to be sure. If you decide to give your dog cod liver oil, just make sure that the one you buy is guaranteed to be free from toxic heavy metals such as mercury and lead, as there are many cheap products out there these days that are far from healthy and your dog would be better off without these.

Avoiding nutrient deficiencies is one of the best ways to prevent many illnesses and conditions in your dog  – don’t wait for disease to develop. Take action and ensure you practice preventative health for your pets by identifying vitamin D deficiency and treating it.

Yours in Health     

Sara Rooney BHSc., ND., DC., DASc., GDSc. (Hons) Zoology, MATMS.                                                                                                                                                                                     www.animalnaturopath.com.au                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     www.healyourdognaturally.com

Yours In Health

Sara Rooney BHSc., DC., ND., DASc., GDSc. (Hons) Zoology, MATMS.          

Naturopathic Animal Services                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         www.animalnaturopath.com.au                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      www.healyourdognaturally.com

A Warning About Giving Your Dog EFA’s in Supplement Form:                                                                                                                                           

Many of the EFA capsules and liquids being sold around the world for human and animal use are nothing more than toxic time  bombs!                                                                                    Unless the supplements you purchase state otherwise, you can be almost guaranteed they will be contaminated with heavy metals such as mercury, aluminium, lead, cadmium, and other nasties. Cheap sources of fish which are used to manufacture ‘cheap’ supplements are usually laden with these potentially harmful substances and do not usually undergo the strict filtering processes of  higher quality supplements, so be careful what you are purchasing. You are really better off avoiding EFA supplements if you can’t afford to purchase the brands that ‘guarantee’ their fish oil products to be 99% heavy metal free.  Unfortunately, when it comes to supplements of any kind, there are a lot of inferior products out there - produced by companies that are just trying to ‘cash in’ on the nutrient supplement revolution. It’s true that most of us do require added nutrients to supplement our diets these days and equally true that our pets do too - but only if we are relying on high-quality, natural supplements and not inferior, synthetic supplements that may contain harmful additives and contaminants such as lead and mercury.

Feeding Fish To Your Dog

When feeding your dog fish (or yourself), try to avoid large fish such as tuna, as these are more likely to contain significant amounts of toxic heavy metals. Instead, try to purchase smaller fish such as sardines as these usually have much smaller amounts of heavy metals in them. When sardines are mashed and fed with their bones, they also provide a great deal of calcium to your dog too.

Sara Rooney BHSc., ND., DC., DASc., GDSc. (Zoology), MATMS.                                                                                                                                                                                             www.animalnaturopath.com.au

It’s a bit like a process line in a factory: If some of the staff don’t turn up for work one day - it puts a bigger stress on the remaining staff to try to function optimally - and that’s what it’s like inside the body when there are some nutrients missing (in people or animals) - pretty soon the staff (other nutrients) can’t cope any longer and the whole process begins to break down. All living organisms require a certain amount of each of the nutrients to function properly and to continually not receive the required nutrients sets the organism up for disease development. It’s that simple!

Although there are certain nutrients that can be produced by the body, minerals and essential fatty acids cannot and therefore need to be derived from either the diet and/or supplementation. Given the right conditions, the body can produce certain vitamins and amino acids but other nutrients need to be provided to the body, in order to function optimally. 

So, Nutritional Medicine, or Orthomolecular Therapy as it is sometimes called, relates to providing the right nutrients in the correct amounts for each individual human, dog or other animal. It’s no good just guessing what your dog needs - different dogs require different nutrients at various stages of their lives and that’s where a well-trained practitioner who understands nutritional science really well, can be extremely helpful to your dog’s health. 

In nature, animals inherently know that they require additional minerals. An example of this are the elephants in certain areas of Africa - they put their lives on the line by travelling really long and often dangerous routes to access a wide variety of minerals that they derive from specific caves. In fact, it is well documented that they have been carving out these minerals from these caves for millions of years.

If we took more notice of the lessons that nature provides and acted on this information, our health and the wellbeing of our pets may be much better.

Sara Rooney BHSc., ND., DC., DASc., GDSc. (Zoology), MATMS.

Naturopathic Animal Services

www.animalnaturopath.com.au

www.healyourdognaturally.com

There are a number of similiarities between studying Zoology and veterinary medicine as well as significant differences. Zoology is the science of studying animal biology, anatomy, physiology, genetics, biochemistry and other subjects involved with the animal sciences. Therefore, zoology covers a wide variety of areas specific to the biology of animals. Consequently, the similarities between zoology and veterinary medicine would be that both fields of study cover the physical animal sciences such as biology, anatomy, etc. However, a big part of Zoology is studying and understanding the animals natural behaviour - which can be very important when treating them in a holistic manner - which takes into consideration their natural behaviour patterns such as their natural diet and so on. This allows you to understand WHY the animal acts as it does which, in turn, can help you to better understand how to treat each animal species in terms of their natural diet, their natural behaviour patterns and so on….this understanding fits in with the philosophy of Naturopathic medicine as it involves working with nature rather than against it.

Veterinary medicine involves studying surgical procedures and a large amount of study relating to pharmaceutical medications - something that zoology doen’t cover at all. This is one of the reasons that I chose the field of Zoology, as performing surgery on animals doesn’t interest me at all, as I prefer to help prevent disease from occurring in the first place, where possible - preventing the need for surgical intervention. In addition, as a well-trained Naturopathic physician, I have studied pharmacology (drug actions, interactions, etc) comprehensivley but decided many years ago that natural medicines were my preference. I feel that they have a much higher level of safety, when professionally prescribed, and can be just as effective in the treatment of most conditions. They also have a much longer documented history - for example, plants have been used for thousands of years to effectively treat diseases and there is plenty of evidence of this.

As a research scientist, I am currently involved in researching chronic, systemic inflammation and the best herbal medicines and nutrient therapies to treat this serious and damaging condition. Sadly the conventional anti-inflammatory treatments are not without potentially dangerous side effects and therefore, I felt it was important to research natural alternatives and identify the most effectives ones available. The research has shown some very interesting results and I now feel that there are certain natural substances that can be used just as effectively as conventional anti-inflammatory drugs but without the potentially serious side effects, which is really exciting.

Sara Rooney BHSc., ND, DC., DASc., GDSc. (Hons) Zoology, MATMS.                                                                                                                                                                      www.healyourdognaturally.com                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             www.animalnaturopath.com.au

There is an enormous amount of scientific evidence nowadays to support the safety and efficacy of correctly-prescribed nutrient supplementation and herbal medicines in the treatment of disease so I think that people are starting to realise that well-trained animal naturopaths can really help their pets with almost all health disorders, usually with great success. More and more people are consulting animal naturopaths for help with treating their dogs and other animals for conditions such as degenerative joint disorders, inflamed skin conditions, recurrent infections, low immune function, auto-immune disorders, cancer and many other diseases.

Sara Rooney BHSc., ND., DC., DASc., GDSc. (Zoology), MATMS.

www.healyourdognaturally.com

www.animalnaturopath.com.au