We’re making progress against cancer – nearly 17 million cancer survivors in the US are living proof. However, overcoming cancer isn’t easy. Cancer behaves on its own, with stealthy survival mechanisms to resist treatment and hide from immune cells. To keep ahead of cancer and prevent it from growing and spreading, we have to outwit it at every opportunity. Since cancer acts with its own intelligence, we must be smarter, stronger and more strategic.

And with evidence-based integrative approaches, we can be.

In fact, 30+ years of clinical experience treating cancer has shown me that integrative medicine offers some of the greatest chances for optimal outcome.

A key principle of integrative medicine involves highly individualized treatment plans that blend therapies from different medical systems – conventional, complementary, Eastern, and others – to create a broad-spectrum protocol.

At the center of each protocol is each patient’s unique story. This means that no two treatment plans are alike.

That said however, there are some powerful, and extensively researched integrative treatments and approaches that offer important benefits against cancer and metastasis. These select compounds and therapies, which we’ll discuss in a moment, form the foundation of a successful program for many types of cancer treatment and prevention.

In my decades of research and clinical work, I’ve seen numerous results that others may call “miracles.” The truth is, every patient has the potential to be a miracle – thanks to the incredible power of our innate healing capacity.

The secret is how to unleash it.

Blocking the effects of stress

As an integrative M.D., researcher, and Buddhist meditation practitioner, I’ve developed a unique methodology around mind-body medicine, with specific attention to developing our abilities to heal ourselves and others.

This personal work, combined with breakthrough findings in mind-body medicine, have made one thing clear: In order to activate our inner healing abilities and overcome our health conditions, no matter how great or small, we have to shift from a state of struggle and survival, to a state of harmony and peace..

Despite the barrage of stressors that continue to challenge our systems, we have to quiet the biochemical alarm that’s keeping us stuck in fight or flight mode. Because when we’re stuck in fight or flight “survival mode,” our natural protective stress responses fuel inflammation, degeneration and cancer progression.

So how can we solve this ultimate paradox?

A large body of research points to one specific target in the body: the protein called galectin-3. Thousands of studies show how galectin-3, as an “upstream alarm protein” drives cancer progression and metastasis, cardiovascular and kidney disease, and nearly every inflammatory degenerative condition affecting us today.

Galectin-3 is produced by the body in response to stress, injury, toxins, illness, infection and even with normal aging. When Gal-3 is unleashed, it triggers a cascade of inflammatory cytokine signals which fuel cancer, fibrosis (uncontrolled scarring of organs and tissues) and chronic diseases. It’s even at the headwaters of the deadly cytokine storm that is costing so many lives today.

Galectin-3: Cancer’s guardian

Galectin-3 allows cancer cells to clump together, create blood supply to feed themselves, metastasize to other areas, and hide from the immune system. Galectin-3 also protects cancer by preventing apoptosis (programmed cell death) of cancer cells, and forms a protective barrier around tumors to shield them from immune attack. Essentially, cancer is hijacking galectin-3 for its own growth and survival. That’s why galectin-3 has been called “the guardian of the tumor microenvironment.”¹

But there’s good news. When we block unhealthy galectin-3, we can stop, slow and sometimes even reverse cancer growth; prevent metastasis, and improve the ability of the immune system to fight the cancer.

According to a fast-growing body of research over the last 25 years, there’s one simple, natural way to block unhealthy galectin-3 and stop it from wreaking havoc: The researched form of modified citrus pectin (MCP).

More than 60 peer-reviewed studies including data from Columbia University, the NIH and other renowned institutes, demonstrate the ability of this MCP to prevent and repair the damage done by galectin-3.

The anticancer benefits of MCP are shown in multiple studies, including significant clinical trials. The most recent clinical study, published in European Urology Open Science, demonstrated that MCP significantly slowed PSA doubling time and prostate cancer progression in patients with biochemically relapsed prostate cancer.²

Enhance treatment results

When we target galectin-3, we address a key factor in cancer growth and metastasis, while enhancing the body’s ability to heal itself. This paradigm shift is the foundation of a truly holistic, integrative model of medicine, which we rely on to treat patients at Amitabha Medical Center in Santa Rosa, California.

In cases of aggressive cancer, as well as other conditions, a more intensive treatment called Therapeutic Apheresis can also be used. We use this advanced blood filtration treatment at Amitabha Clinic to reduce inflammatory compounds and other cancer factors, including galectin-3. And what we’re seeing is that Apheresis can offer significant benefits for cancer treatment outcome.

Blocking and removing galectin-3 allows for other treatments to work better. For example, Apheresis can provide important benefits when administered just before chemotherapy, because it allows the drugs to better reach the cancer. Similarly, MCP allows other treatments, including chemotherapy, to work better – by breaking down galectin-3’s protective structures.

Another botanical ingredient that shows powerful anticancer abilities is pure honokiol derived from Magnolia officinalis bark.

Honokiol is a highly active compound and is often called nature’s “smart drug” because of its numerous mechanisms against cancer as well as other conditions. Honokiol influences cellular and genetic pathways to halt cancer growth and metastasis, trigger apoptosis, reduce inflammation, reduce free radicals and protect neurological function. It’s also an amazing relaxation agent, effective against anxiety and stress, without causing dependency. Multiple published papers on this unique extract demonstrate its effectiveness and safety, including one study showing it works synergistically with MCP.³

Additional natural cancer treatments include medicinal mushrooms for broad-spectrum immune and vitality support. I also recommend researched botanical and nutrient formulas for breast and prostate, which demonstrate unique anti-cancer mechanisms in published studies.

The goal is to create a multi-tiered, synergistic treatment plan that works against cancer on many levels, while supporting overall health and vitality.

A new paradigm for integrative medicine

The more we learn about galectin-3 from emerging published studies, the more we understand the ways it impacts our health and drives our most serious conditions. In cancer, galectin-3 is a primary player.

But when we address unhealthy galectin-3 with strategic methods – the most researched being Modified Citrus Pectin – we can help optimize outcome, not just against cancer, but against nearly every inflammatory, degenerative condition as well.

This is how we can shift our biochemistry, and help uncover greater healing capacity.