Posts Tagged Blood test for cancer

… name of Dr. Judah Folkman, happened upon a discovery that would revolutionize the way that we view cancer development in the human body. While testing the impact of preserved blood on fast growing …

The PSA is a popular blood test that is notorious for providing shady results, sometimes missing the cancer and other times worrying men with results that signal prostate cancer even when there is none to be found. In this article we will discuss the various tests such as the PSA, biopsies, ultrasound, digital rectal exam and more. You will learn…
What are the symptoms of prostate cancer
What tests are used to screen for prostate cancer
Why the PSA test is useless in most men
A improved version of the PSA test
How to improve the accuracy of the PSA test
Why prostate biopsies can kill you
Why prostate cancer may not be something to fear
A combination of tests that may prevent the need for prostate biopsies

Prostate cancer typically occurs without symptoms, however, occasionally people will note symptoms such as:

Blood in the urine
Difficulty urinating
Pain or burning while urinating
Lower back pain or pain in the upper thighs
Weak urine flow

Many of these symptoms can occur for other reasons such as infection, prostatitis (inflammation of the prostate) or benign prostate enlargement. For this reason, you should be assessed by a physician whenever you have any symptoms with the urinary tract. The likely is that these symptoms will turn out to be benign, however, it is best to be sure.

What tests are involved to diagnose prostate cancer?

The most common tests are the digital rectal exam and the standard PSA, which stands for prostate specific antigen. The digital rectal exams involves the doctor feeling the prostate for enlargement and abnormalities. The PSA is a blood test that is widely used to screen men for prostate cancer, unfortunately PSA can be elevated for many non-cancerous reasons and can cause unnecessary alarm and biopsy. A PSA is considered normal by the medical establishment as long as it stays below 4 dl/ml, however, some doctors prefer to see it below 2.5 dl/ml. PSA that are excessively elevated may signal more aggressive cancer.

To demonstrate how misleading the PSA can be, it is estimated that the standard PSA misses 82% of prostate cancers in men under the age of 60 and misses 65% of cancers in men over the age of 60. It has been noted that up to 1 in 6 men with a normal PSA actually have prostate cancer and in men who have a PSA score between 4 and 10 only 20-25 percent actually have cancer.

The PSA has an alarming rate of signaling prostate cancer in men without the disease. This can cause fear and panic in many healthy men. According to the research, the PSA test can signal cancer in 12 out of 15 men without cancer. This is an unacceptably high rate of false positives and it is very common for men who have an elevated PSA test to see those numbers drop to normal within a year. With this information it is a good idea to have PSA reassessed a couple months later before you subject yourself to biopsy.

To increase the accuracy of the PSA test, be sure to follow these guidelines:

Abstain from sex or ejaculation for at least 48 hours as ejaculation artificially elevates the PSA.
Make sure that you have the PSA test before the digital rectal exam as prostate manipulation increases PSA
Do not take part in physical activity, especially bike riding, for at least 48 hours before the test as this can artificially elevate PSA.
Stressed people are 3 times as likely to have an artificially elevated PSA than non –stressed men. So take part in some stress relieving activities.
Certain medications can artificially lower PSA. These medications are Proscar, Propecia and Avodart.
Saw Palmetto does not artificially loser PSA
The Bottom Line: The PSA is not an ideal tool for screening for prostate cancer. In fact, the doctor who attributed as being the father of the PSA test no longer recommends the PSA saying that the PSA is no longer a useful marker for detecting prostate cancer. In men who are 75 years and older the PSA question is more cut and dry as the U.S. Preventative Services Task Force recently advised that men who are 75 years old or older no longer get the PSA test. Men in this age group are highly unlikely to die of prostate related problems The fact is, even if they did develop a prostate tumor they are likely to die of other causes well before the tumor would claim their life.

Other Tests for Prostate Cancer Screening

There are a number of other tests that may help to screen for prostate cancer, however, none of them are completely accurate and only a few are reasonably accurate.

Free PSA – PSA is a protein that exists in two forms in the blood, bound and unbound. Approximately 85% of the prostate specific antigen is bound to protein, the remaining 15% is free floating. The higher the amount of the free floating PSA, the lower your risk of cancer is. The main benefit of this test is the low number of false positives (men diagnosed with prostate cancer who do not have it).
Transrectal Ultrasound – This test can visualize prostate size and abnormalities in the shape of the prostate that may indicate prostate cancer.
Prostate Biopsies – Inaccurate and Possibly Dangerous

Biopsies are not a controversial matter in medicine…but they should be! First, it is important to note that most biopsies are performed because of an elevated PSA, one of the most inaccurate cancer screenings in the medical world. In fact, one study in 1500 men who underwent biopsies found only 10% actually had prostate cancer. Given the discomfort and subsequent risk of prostate inflammation or infection, perhaps we should reevaluate the standards for sending a man in for a prostate biopsy.

Okay, so you might argue that 165 men out of 1500 had cancer and now they can receive “life-saving” treatment. Not necessarily…you see, most prostate cancer is not going to result in death. In one study of men over the age of 70 who had passed from other causes not related to prostate cancer, over 80% had prostate cancer. The truth is most men will develop prostate cancer in their lifetime and will not be bothered by it, they will live their lives ignorant to the fact that they have abnormal cells and will end up succumbing to something else.

Prostate biopsies can be dangerous because of the traumatic way in which the cell samples are taken. Remember, localized cancer is far less dangerous than metastasized cancer (cancer that has moved to other areas of the body). A biopsy involves taking numerous needle punches of the prostate tissue in hopes that a needle will catch some abnormal cells. It is fairly common that the luck of the draw misses the abnormal cells and results in a false negative result. If the doctor gets lucky and punctures an area with abnormal cells then you may run the risk of sending some of the abnormal cells into circulation where they can result in metastases.

According to one study, the best approach for prostate cancer screening is:

Digital Rectal Exam to feel for abnormal shape, nodules or size.
An ultrasound done rectally to visualize nodules or cancerous areas
PSA in relation to prostate size. If the prostate is enlarged, then PSA is not as good of a predictor and should not be used as a primary screening tool.
By following this procedure, it is estimated that we could avoid over 200,000 unnecessary biopsies annually.

Article Written by: Ray Hinish, Pharm.D.,CN,C.P.T.

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The double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study found that subjects who took 730 mg of quercetin daily enjoyed blood pressures that were 7 mm/Hg lower for systolic (upper number) and 5 mm/Hg lower for diastolic (lower number) after just 28 days.

Dr. Ray Hinish’s Notes:

Quercetin is a bioflavonoid that is most commonly used in the management of allergies, although it is well known for many other benefits to the body. This appears to be the first study to demonstrate benefit to blood pressure. It is very interesting that blood pressure came down despite the normal blood pressure of the participants of the study. The dose of quercetin used in the study was quite conservative, the dose used in management of allergies is typically 1500 – 2500 mg daily.

(J Nutr. 2007 Nov;137(11):2495-11)

They found out that from 19.5% to 79.9% of the women in the survey used complementary therapy at least once following their diagnoses. Majority of those therapies were used on a daily basis. 73.9% of the women surveyed had low commitment to complementary therapies and those were more likely to be older and less educated compared to the women with a moderate-to-high commitment. The study clearly points to the popularity and need of adding complementary therapies to the medical therapy during breast cancer treatment.(Summary by Kasia Kines, MS, CN, CNS, LDN. Kasia is a licensed nutritionist at Your Prescription for Health. She can be reached atkasia@illnessisoptional.com)

Dr. Ray Hinish’s Comments:

In my opinion this study does not demonstrate popularity of complementary medicine, it just shows that people are scattered in their commitment to whatever therapy they are pursuing. Whenever we speak to people challenged with cancer, we always say to them that whatever therapy you choose you need to be 100% behind it. You need to believe entirely in the treatment or when the going gets tough it will be easy for you to bail emotionally and spiritually. This study says to me that people are not behind either treatment and it is this scattered devotion that causes people to fail the challenge. When it comes to cancer we do not suggest an alternative approach, we suggest a complementary approach. This is only the case if you truly understand natural medicine and agree in the healing properties of natural products. You better believe that there are benefits to natural products in complementing conventional chemotherapy and radiation. The science is there, you just need to decide to learn about it.

The study involved 60 subjects with mildly elevated hemoglobin A1c. That result averaged 6.2% which would correlate with a daily blood sugar of 128. After two months of taking the green tea, the hemoglobin A1c dropped to an average of 5.9% which correlates to an average daily blood sugar of 119. In addition to the improvements in blood sugar, the subjects who took the green tea extract also enjoyed a slight but significant decrease in diastolic blood pressure.
(Source: Eur J Clin Cutr. 2008 Aug;62(8):953-60)
Dr. Ray’s Notes: Green tea has proven over and over again to be a valuable tool in the fight against many diseases including cancer, heart disease and diabetes. This study just adds to the already impressive track record for this valuable and inexpensive supplement. Although the results of this study were impressive, I feel that if they had continued treatment for three months rather than two we may have seen even better blood sugar control. In this study, the subjects received a green tea supplement that was standardized to contain 544 mg of polyphenols. These are a class of plant compound that has antioxidant and anti-cancer qualities. I personally use a product called “Botanical Treasures” by Natura Health Products which contains a spectrum of powerful whole food antioxidants including green tea, grape seed extract, turmeric, amla and more. I personally take 3 capsules twice daily and this dose should more than meet the green tea polyphenol needs of the body.

The PSA test stands for Prostate Specific Antibody and it is used in conventional medical testing as a tool for detecting prostate cancer. When a man’s PSA is elevated it commonly results in uncomfortable biopsy testing. In the past, Dr. Rowen vehemently opposed the PSA test because it was unacceptably inaccurate as a tool for determining the presence of prostate tumors. This means that many men who had an elevated PSA actually were free from any cancer while up to 30% of prostate cancers occur even thought the PSA is in the normal range. As far as prostate cancer diagnosis is concerned, you just can’t trust the PSA results!

The change in Dr. Rowen’s opinion came after a lecture by an integrative urologist named Dr. Wheeler. In this lecture, Dr. Wheeler presented evidence that the PSA is a nearly 100% accurate test for assessing inflammation in the prostate! So why is that important?

Inflammation is a bodily reaction to dysfunction. What this means is where there is damage, infection, abnormal cells or any kind of cellular problem, inflammation seems to follow. This inflammation is not just an indication of problems, when it is sustained it becomes part of the problem! These problems include prostatitis, prostate enlargement and even cancer. That is right, chronic inflammation in the prostate could ultimately set the stage for prostate cancer.

So how do we know if we have a problem?

According to Dr. Wheeler, whenever the PSA is above 1.0, there is a near 100% chance of inflammation in the prostate. He believes that the ultimate goal is to retain a PSA level below 0.5 and with proper care you could even retain a level close to 0.1.

So what now?

The first step is to have your PSA tested or dig up your last test within the past year. Once you know your baseline, we can do the work necessary to get and keep the prostate healthy. If you are in need of a PSA test, I recommend that you read the article entitled “Screening for Prostate Cancer – Tests to Get Tests to Avoid” in the Men’s Health section of our website. This way you will be able to have your doctor order all of the right tests.

So how do we keep inflammation in the prostate down?

It turns out that many of the herbs and nutritionals that we use to deal with prostate enlargement appear to mitigate inflammation in the prostate as well. These herbs include saw palmetto, pygeum and stinging nettle. The formula that I have used most in my practice for helping to get and keep the prostate healthy is a formula called Ultra Natural Prostate by Life Extension . This formula contains many herbs and nutritionals that will help to take the “fire” out of the prostate. Simply take two to three capsules daily.

Article Written by: Ray Hinish, Pharm.D.,CN,C.P.T.

The most important thing that you need to know about high blood pressure is that it is generally not a disease, instead, it’s a symptom of a body that is biochemically out of balance. In this article, we will teach you a simple three step system for natural blood pressure control using only diet and natural remedies. The purpose of such a program is to achieve one thing…bring the body back into perfect balance so that blood pressure is controlled by the body’s own homeostatic systems.

Step 1: Find Out Why You Have High Blood Pressure

I am not going to leave you to figure this out on your own, nor am I going to leave it to your busy, overworked doctor either. Below are the tests that you should ask your doctor for to figure out why your blood pressure may be elevated:

1. Fasting Insulin Levels & Hemoglobin a1c – The number one cause of elevated blood pressure is elevated insulin levels and the resulting metabolic syndrome. These two tests will help to diagnose a metabolic syndrome and may help to save you from a future diabetes diagnosis.
2. Potassium (K) & intracellular magnesium (RBC-Mg) – These two minerals are essential to a healthy blood pressure. If either, or both, are low or low-normal, this could be one indication as to why your blood pressure is elevated.
3. Vitamin D – Vitamin D deficiency is common in our society and when vitamin D is low, the cardiovascular system does not work properly.
4. RBC-Mg (Red blood cell magnesium) – Magnesium deficiency is a common problem in our society and the consequences can be devastating. Magnesium acts as a natural calcium channel blocker and works to relax the blood vessels.

Step 2: 3 Dietary Changes for a Healthy Blood Pressure

1. Decrease carbohydrate intake. Carbohydrates increase insulin production which causes fluid retention, inflammation and electrolyte imbalance.
2. Remove all unhealthy fats. These fats include trans-fatty acids and cooked omega-6 fatty acids from vegetable oils.
3. Make the Magic Salad for Blood Pressure every day. I have designed a salad recipe that will flood your body with hypertension- blasting ingredients which are high in potassium, magnesium and phytochemicals that will lower blood pressure and promote wellness. The ingredients are as follows:

• Organic field greens (available at Costco and most local grocery stores)
• Organic carrots
• Celery
• Green & Red Peppers
• Radishes
• Mushrooms
• Fresh parsley
• Tomatoes
• Braggs Apple cider vinegar and extra-virgin olive oil

Eat at least one large salad, containing these ingredients every day. Note: Some medications, called ACE Inhibitors, can cause your body to retain potassium. If you are on these medication, your doctor should monitor your potassium closely.

Step 3: Use the right natural supplements to promote a healthy blood pressure.

Supplements can be an effective tool in your struggle to normalize blood pressure. The goals of a natural program for high blood pressure are three fold:

1. Normalize deficiencies (such as potassium, magnesium zinc, omega-3, etc.)
2. Decrease resistance to insulin
3. Relax blood vessels & normalize fluid balance

There are a few natural remedies that we recommend for normalizing blood pressure.

1. WholeMega by New Chapter – This omega-3 supplement provides a healthy balance of essential fatty acids that help to relax and improve the elasticity of blood vessels. Recommended dose: 2 capsules twice daily.
2. Cardiotonic-BP by Natura Health Products – I have used this formula in my practice for almost a year, it is a blend of some of natures most powerful herbal and nutritional ingredients for a healthy blood pressure. 3 capsules twice daily.
3. Coenzyme Q10 – CoQ10 helps to energize the cells and protect the vessels from free radicals that can harm the blood pressure. Research has not delineated the exact mechanism by which CoQ10 positively impacts the blood pressure; but it can have a significant impact on blood pressure while positively impacting overall wellness.

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