Sursa:
https://www.cancertutor.com/laetrile/
Laetril este o substanta ilegala in USA, ca si cannabisul sau marijuana.
De ce?
Pentru ca:
No matter what you call it:
vitamin B-17, amygdalin, laetrile, laetrile has been shown to be one of the
most effective (and, to be honest, most controversial) cancer treatments
available.
Amygdalin is a natural substance found in raw nuts like almonds
(amygdalin is the Greek word for almond) and the seeds and kernels of
many fruits, particularly apricots. It’s also present in lima beans,
clover, sorghum, and other natural foods. The concentrated, purified
form developed for use in the laboratory and in treatments is called
laetrile.
Laetrile Therapy combines amygdalin with other factors to create a
potent treatment that fights cancer cells while helping to strengthen
the body’s immune system.
Although found in various nuts, fruits, and other plants, amygdalin
is not a food or “superfood.” (You’ll find an extensive list of foods
that contain laetrile below.) And it’s definitely not a drug.
Dr. Eugene Krebs Jr., the man who first identified amygdalin, called
it a food component or factor. And, although it is not technically a
vitamin, food components that are natural, non-toxic, water-soluble, and
compatible with human metabolisms — like amygdalin — are called
vitamins. That’s why he named his discovery Vitamin B-17.
You’ve probably never heard of Jason Vale, a world-class arm wrestler — and three-time cancer survivor.
He’s also a convicted felon. In 2000, the FDA obtained a court
injunction to stop Vale from selling apricot seeds. Four years later, he
was convicted of criminal contempt of the injunction and sentenced to
five years at the Federal Correctional Institution at Fort Dix, New
Jersey.
Vale maintained apricot seeds helped him defeat cancer three times,
including Askin’s Tumor, a rare form of Ewing’s Sarcoma; renal cell
carcinoma; and a tumor in his kidney.
However, he ran afoul of the FDA because he was selling a
concentrated form of the vitamin found in apricot seeds, known as
laetrile, to other cancer patients via the Internet.
In 1998, the agency stated that it considered laetrile to be a “new
drug,” and as such, was not approved for sale or importation.
Following undercover investigations by the FDA, Vale was alleged to
have continued to sell and promote laetrile in violation of the consent
decree. He was prosecuted for criminal contempt.
The U.S. government maintained that because Vale made therapeutic
claims about his laetrile products, the apricot seeds are drugs and
therefore require FDA approval before they can be sold or distributed
within the United States.
Eliezer Ben-Joseph, one of the most prominent naturopaths in the
U.S., said of laetrile, “It’s not a cure; there is no cure for cancer —
but there are things that we can do that augment how metabolism works.
These are chemicals that the body would use to detoxify or get rid of
cancer.
“To make a law that says that the public cannot eat an apricot pit
because they think it might keep people from going to regular cancer
therapy, I think is a ludicrous jump in jurisdiction,” he said.
How laetrile fights cancer
Laetrile is believed to fight cancer by targeting and killing cancer
cells and building the immune system to help fend off future outbreaks
of cancer. It actually uses two different methods to accomplish these
goals.
The first method revolves around enzymes. Vitamin B-17 is made up of
glucose plus two potentially toxic substances — benzaldehyde and
hydrogen cyanide. (Note: In the early days of laetrile research it was
assumed that cyanide was the major cancer cell-killing molecule, but now
many researchers believe benzaldehyde is the primary reason the cancer
cell is killed.)
Healthy cells contain the enzyme rhodanese (in his book
World Without Cancer, G.
Edward Griffin calls this the protecting enzyme). Rhodanese protects
the cells by neutralizing the benzaldehyde and cyanide in B-17,
converting them to useful compounds, including thiocyanate, which is
known as a natural regulator of blood pressure and also is involved with
the production of Vitamin B-12.
However, cancer cells do not have rhodanese. Instead, they have an
enzyme called beta-glucosidase (Griffin calls this the unlocking
enzyme). Beta-glucosidase unlocks the benzaldehyde and cyanide from the
glucose to create a targeted poison that kills the cancer cell.
G. Edward Griffin explains this process in more detail in
World Without Cancer.
There’s another method your body fights cancer that is related to laetrile through the power of a healthy immune system.
Normally, people produce about 100 billion white blood cells a day.
The total white blood cell count normally ranges between 4,000 and
11,000 cells per microliter. These white blood cells attack and destroy
anything that is harmful to your body. But cancer cells are covered by a
thin protein coating that carries a negative electrostatic charge. This
charge repels the negatively charged white blood cells.
Luckily, the pancreas releases an enzyme that, in sufficient
quantities, can eat away this protective coating, allowing the white
blood cells to attack cancer.
Because the laetrile might chemically react with the enzyme of a
non-cancerous cell (i.e. rhodanese) before it reacts with the enzyme of a
cancerous cell (beta-glucosidase) – thus making it ineffective against
the cancer cell – you have to take enough laetrile, over a long enough
time, to ensure that laetrile molecules hit all of the cancer cells
first.
One of the positive side effects of laetrile therapy is that more
Vitamin B-12 is made in the body. In addition, it’s smart to supplement
laetrile therapy with
Vitamin C. Vitamin C and Vitamin B-12 can be, by themselves, a treatment for cancer.
During an interview
with Dr. Antonio Jimenez, chief medical officer and founder of
Hope4Cancer Institute in Baja California, and Cancun, Mexico, he stated
that laetrile has several positive effects, including direct anticancer
activity (from the cyanide and benzaldehyde described above), analgesic
properties, and well-being enhancement. He describes Laetrile Therapy as
a safe, productive part of an integrative cancer treatment program.
Which foods contain laetrile?
Laetrile is a common substance. It’s found in more than 1,200 foods, but primarily in the following:
- apricot kernels
- peach kernels
- bitter almonds
- grape seeds
- apple seeds
- raspberries
- blackberries
- blueberries
- strawberries
- cranberries
- plums
- spinach
- lima beans
- barley
- bamboo shoots
- macadamia nuts
Other things rich in laetrile are millet grain and buckwheat grain.
Bread made with these grains, however, generally do not contain a high
percentage of millet or buckwheat, or else the bread would be too dense
and hard.
Of course, apricot kernels are the best source of laetrile. In the
middle of an apricot (or a peach) is a hard shell. If you break open
that shell with a nutcracker, pliers or hammer, you will find a small
seed or kernel in the middle that looks like an almond. However, it is
much softer than an almond and certainly does not taste like an almond.
It is this seed that is rich in natural laetrile.
Those who do not yet have cancer might want to plant a few apricot or
peach trees in their backyard for a long-term source of laetrile. The
kernels can be frozen while still in the shell.
The seeds of berry plants, such as red raspberries, black
raspberries, strawberries, and cranberries, are rich in laetrile. Even
better, red raspberries have a second cancer killer in their seeds:
ellagic acid. About four dozen foods have
ellagic acid, but red raspberries have the highest concentration.
When you buy berry jelly, make sure you buy preserves that have the
seeds. Basically, the seeds of any fruit, except citrus fruits, have
laetrile. For example, when you eat an apple, it’s a good habit to eat
the seeds as well.
How to obtain laetrile or Vitamin B-17
While there are sources for laetrile pills, they are essentially
illegal to sell across state lines. The FDA has made obtaining laetrile
supplements almost impossible. However, it is legal to purchase apricot
kernels, which contain laetrile.
The source that Dr. Tony Jimenez recommends is
Apricot Power.
Be advised, however, that apricot kernel sites cannot legally make any
medical claims about laetrile being used to treat cancer.
While laetrile is illegal in the U.S., there are several clinics in
Mexico – below is a map of the clinics that offer laetrile – that
provide high levels of laetrile in a liquid I.V. form. (In these
clinics, the doctors also deal with the issues of damage to
non-cancerous cells and rebuilding the immune system.)
In its June 27, 1977, edition,
Newsweek reported that as
many as 70,000 Americans had traveled across the border for treatment in
the early 1970’s, and the flow has continued through the years.
Laetrile also is legal in Germany and parts of Asia.
Overall, amygdalin in pill form is less concentrated and harder to
absorb, while I.V. laetrile is more soluble and can be administered in
higher concentrations. Also, I.V. laetrile appears to be free from
toxicity, while there is a slight chance of problems if the patient
consumes too many apricot kernels. The signs of cyanide toxicity include
nausea, vomiting, a cherry-red color on the skin, headache, fever, and
lethargy.
Also, if you obtain laetrile pills, it is important to take them with
water before a meal. In addition, it is important to take enzymes like
chymotrypsin and trypsin during the laetrile therapy. However, note that
these are blood thinners and should be taken within the vendor's
recommended maximum dosage (as stated on the bottle). These enzymes
allow the laetrile molecules to work at peak efficiency.
What’s the correct dosage?
Based on his years of experience with laetrile (he first encountered
Vitamin B-17 in 1988), Dr. Antonio Jimenez says clinical dosages vary,
depending on the method. Laetrile can be administered intravenously,
orally through pills, or with intramuscular injections, normally in the
buttocks.
Intravenously,
Dr. Jimenez’s clinics
give 3-9 grams a day, usually administered 6-7 days a week, depending
on the individual case. The laetrile is diluted in a saline solution and
dripped into the patient during a 30-minute time frame.
“If
you are you are eating bitter apricot kernels for the first time, start
with one, then wait a few hours before consuming more. Everyone is
different and it may take some time for your body to adjust to the
desired level of B17.”
Dr. Antonio Jimenez
Hope4Cancer
The ideal oral pill dosage is a 500mg
tablet or
capsule a
half hour before each meal and another 500mg before bedtime, for a
daily total of 2,000 mg. More or less than that will not be as
effective.
Laetrile also can be given through intramuscular injections, but Dr.
Jimenez notes that it is painful, especially day after day, and there is
a danger of noncompliance.
For many of today’s therapeutic uses, the primary laetrile source is
apricot seeds. For active cancer patients, Dr. Jimenez recommends
anywhere between
20 and 40 kernels a day. The variance depends on the patient’s history, where the cancer is located, how advanced it is, and other factors.
As a preventive measure for everybody or for patients in remission, he recommends
14-16 kernels a day.
Although all of the methods of receiving laetrile have their value,
intravenously is considered the best, most-preferred method, followed by
pills and then by ingesting apricot kernels.
Also, for better results, Dr. Jimenez combines the laetrile in his
clinics with Vitamin C and a number of minerals, particularly zinc and
selenium.
Laetrile: Controversy and Advocacy
Laetrile has been center stage among alternative cancer treatments
and non-traditional medicine for decades. Government agencies have
alternately described it as harmless, with nothing to offer patients
beyond a positive placebo effect, and as dangerous, because of the
cyanide that is part of its core components. Advocates, on the other
hand, point to a history of successful treatments, the lack of any
proven toxic episodes, freedom of choice issues, and other factors as
reasons why it should be legal and available.
Let’s take a look at some of the events in laetrile’s history that have led us to where we are today.
Laetrile and the FDA
Laetrile’s role as a food component and its observed ability to fight
disease puts it under the purview of the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration. And the FDA has long had a contentious relationship with
laetrile and with the doctors and patients who want to use it. The
following are some of the highlights — and lowlights.
The FDA prohibited the interstate shipment of amygdalin and laetrile
in 1977. However, 27 U.S. states subsequently legalized the use of
amygdalin.
While
laetrile remains a banned substance in the U.S. for retailers to sell,
it’s not illegal to possess or use. Also, it’s legal in Mexico, where
quality-controlled laetrile production for medicinal purposes is still
supported. Dr. Antonio Jimenez points out that anyone who comes to
Mexico can take laetrile back to their home country with a prescription.
According to the FDA, a 1977 controlled, blinded trial of laetrile
showed no more activity than placebo. Subsequently, laetrile was tested
on 14 tumor systems,
reportedly without evidence of effectiveness. The Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center concluded that “laetrile showed no beneficial effects.” It was this controversial conclusion that spurred Ralph Moss into action. You can read more about this compelling story below.
According to a
2015 systematic review
by the Cochrane Collaboration, the claims that laetrile or amygdalin
has beneficial effects for cancer patients aren’t currently supported by
sound clinical data. The review added that “there is a considerable
risk of serious adverse effects from cyanide poisoning after laetrile or
amygdalin, especially after oral ingestion.”
In addition, the U.S. National Institutes of Health
evaluated the evidence separately and concluded that clinical trials of amygdalin showed little or no effect against cancer. For example, a
1982 trial by the Mayo Clinic
of 175 patients found that tumor size had increased in all but one
patient. The authors reported that “the hazards of amygdalin therapy
were evidenced in several patients by symptoms of cyanide toxicity or by
blood cyanide levels approaching the lethal range.”
However, there were several problems with how the Mayo study was conducted. You can read more about that below.
In the 1970s, court cases in several states challenged the FDA's
authority to restrict access to what they claimed was a potentially
lifesaving drug. More than 20 states passed laws making the use of
Laetrile legal. But, after the unanimous Supreme Court ruling in
United States v. Rutherford, which established that interstate transport of the compound was illegal, usage fell off dramatically.
The FDA continues to seek jail sentences for vendors marketing
laetrile for cancer treatment. For example, Jason Vale, a champion arm
wrestler and cancer survivor, was sentenced on June 18, 2004, to 63
months in prison and three years of supervised release by a U.S.
District Court after running afoul of the FDA for selling apricot seeds
online as a cancer-fighting tool.
The laetrile was working for Vale, yet he still ended up in prison.
While it remains a banned substance in the U.S. for retailers to
sell, it’s not illegal to possess or use. Also, it’s legal in Mexico,
where quality-controlled laetrile production for medicinal purposes is
still supported. Dr. Antonio Jimenez points out that anyone who comes to
Mexico can take laetrile back to their home country with a
prescription.
Is Laetrile Toxic?
The term “toxic” generally means the substance is poisonous when
taken in low doses. Under this definition, laetrile is not toxic.
Yet, although laetrile is a safe nutrient to take therapeutically,
there are precautions you should take. Remember, too much water at one
time can have fatal effects on the human body. One or two cups of coffee
is a pleasure, but 10 cups in one day could have serious effects on the
nervous system. The same can be said for laetrile — too much is a bad
thing.
Apricot
kernels are the best source of laetrile. The seeds of berry plants,
such as red raspberries, black raspberries, strawberries, and
cranberries, also are rich in laetrile.
Luckily your body is programmed to tell you when “enough is enough.”
If you have ingested too many apricot seeds or laetrile, the major signs
of cyanide poisoning include dizziness, blurred vision, and nausea. If
any of these symptoms occur, simply decrease the next dose.
Important Note: If symptoms continue or become severe, seek medical help immediately!
Despite the fear that these side effects may bring on, the occurrence
is extremely rare if common sense and moderation are followed. In fact,
in more than two decades of clinical use, Dr. Antonio Jimenez has never
seen a patient with cyanide toxicity. He also points out that in the
dosages used by qualified practitioners, laetrile is not toxic.
If you want to read an interesting story about laetrile, read the first chapter of
Alive and Well, an online book by Dr. Philip E. Binzel.
Tot articolul poate fi citit aici:
https://www.cancertutor.com/laetrile/.
