Ask the Doctor: Pumpkin Seed Oil and Preventing Prostate Cancer

Ask the Doctor:

Q: Is Pumpkin Seed Oil or Extract good for men trying to prevent prostate cancer?

A: Okay so the real question here is, given the confusing, contradictory claims about supplements, and the money we need to spend on essential supplements, “Is pumpkin seed the best “bang for our buck”?

It’s worth starting with how we evaluate data in what we call an “evidence-based approach” at Associates of Integrative Medicine.

We do not use anecdotal or preclinical data when we are treating you.

Anecdotal data is:

● “First Nations people used pumpkin seeds to treat urinary problems and intestinal issues which led the United States Pharmacopoeia to list pumpkin seeds as an official medicine for parasite elimination from 1863 to 1936.”

● “In traditional Chinese medicine, pumpkin seeds are used as an anti-parasitic and to treat high blood pressure.”

● “Mexican herbalists have used pumpkin for metabolic control.”

These things are historically true. Anecdotal data is powerful, moving, and suggestive. Meaning, it gives us a ton of clues as to how a plant can be used.

Preclinical data is:

“Researchers at the University of Nottingham, England, applied pumpkin seed oil to prostate and breast cancer cells in a controlled setting and found a 20-70% decrease in the rate of cell growth.

Authors conclude that the cell growth inhibition for fast growing cells together with the cell growth inhibition of prostate-, breast- and colon cancer cells corroborates the ethnomedical use of pumpkin seeds as a treatment of benign prostate hyperplasia and potential adjunct for treatment of prostate cancer.”

Preclinical data is exciting and gives well-funded groups an incentive to try the plant on people.

But neither anecdotal or preclinical data are strong enough for us to use it in treating you or making supplement recommendations.

When WE look at data at AIM, we look at clinical trials in humans. And we look to see what factors contributed to the conclusions, were nutrition, stress, lifestyle, sleep and other issues taken into account. And further, we look to see if that data is reproduced consistently over time.

On the other hand, it’s also not true when your oncologist tells you that there are no natural therapies with human data! What IS true is you have to know HOW to look….but enough on data.

Let’s get to some nitty gritty on prostate cancer.

The prostate is a gland that sits like a cushion between the bladder and the penis. The urethra, which carries urine from the bladder out, travels through the prostate and is also the tube by which we transport semen out of the penis.

The prostate’s job is to produce prostatic fluid, which is a nourishing and protecting liquid that suspends sperm (which are produced in the testicles) and supports them in movement. During ejaculation, the prostate contracts and the prostatic fluid joins the sperm to make what we call semen (sperm + prostatic fluid).

As we age, the prostate can become enlarged because of several conditions. The three most common prostate problems are

1. benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH);

2. prostatitis, an inflammation of the prostate sometimes caused by an infection;

3. cancer

Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer in men worldwide with 1.2 million new cases. It’s analogous to breast cancer in women, as the prostate, like the breast, is a glandular tissue that relies on hormonal regulation, is partnered to reproductive development and is vulnerable to environmental and dietary stress.

As such, both breast and prostate cancer are typically diseases of aging. If we autopsy 100 men over age 90, we will find prostate cancer in almost all of these men.

Heads up, guys! There is a ton of money devoted to preventing and treating breast cancer because women are well organized and vocal behind their collective health. Men need to model themselves here and really work towards opening themselves up to talking about their intimate health. Get vocal! Like early stage breast, if caught early, prostate cancer is a curable disease.

Your life and that of your brothers is worth fighting for.

I know, I know, what about pumpkin?! I promise I will get there.

Sigh. It’s expensive to see us, and there is so much that goes into how we formulate an individualized approach to treatment, that we need to use every minute to design the highest performance strategy unique to YOUR circumstances, so we rarely get a chance to teach to all these pearls that we think are necessary to live your best life.

Back to the Great Pumpkin Debate. For those of you impatient for the answer, pumpkin seed has NO clinical data that it is effective in the treatment of prostate cancer.

But there is MORE to the story which means there are more sophisticated ways to look at the data.

To know where to look, a good doctor needs to understand what pumpkin seed is. Pumpkin seed is a phytosterol. Phytosterols are plant-based compounds found in:

Pumpkin seeds > soy beans > green peas > sesame > kidney beans > pistachio nuts > lentils > cashews > oranges > almonds > olive oil > banana > brussels sprouts.

Phytosterols are like kryptonite to cholesterol. When we consume them, they interfere with the intestinal absorption of cholesterol in our diet and they also cause the body to increase the amount of cholesterol we dump in our poop.

Clinical data DOES conclusively show us that daily consumption of phytosterols from food can significantly lower our serum LDL (low density lipoprotein). An average phytosterol intake of 2 g/day lowers LDL by up to 10%.

Why does this matter? Right now, older drugs are being repurposed and used in an experimental way to prevent prostate cancer. One of these is a class of drugs called statins. Epidemiologic findings suggest that statins use may have a beneficial effect on the risk of prostate cancer progression and death. This gives us some indication that the root cause of prostate disease may have something to do with inflammation in the microenvironment due to how we use fat and sugar.

So can we conclude a supplement high in at least phytosterols in our clinic is at least protective by virtue of lowering LDL and perhaps getting at the root cause of prostate disease? Perhaps. But we would want that same supplement to be high as well in phytoestrogens.

What are these?

Phytoestrogens are naturally occurring plant compounds that are hormone modulators. Genistein and daidzein, the predominant phytoestrogens in human nutrition, are derived mainly from soybeans, lentils and other legumes.

Phytoestrogens may reduce prostate cancer risk by favorably altering the hormonal milieu or by inhibition of 5-alpha reductase (5-AR), which decreases concentrations of the more prostate-active androgen dihydrotestosterone (DHT). It’s this potent DHT that causes accelerated growth of prostate cells and may result in more cell errors (cancer).

The higher intake of soy products among Asian men has been hypothesized to be one reason for the lower incidence of prostate cancer among these men. In humans, most of the case-control studies have shown a modest protective benefit of soy on prostate cancer risk.

Okay so we are making some progress here!

We have narrowed our recommendation to supplements high in phytosterols and phytoestrogens AND at the same time we have expanded our investigation to look at nutritional strategies that may modify cholesterol and hormonal health.

How does THIS data look? Are nutritional strategies protective? Conclusively YES!

A diet high in animal fat may be an important factor in the development of prostate cancer. In particular, intake of large amounts of alpha-linolenic acid and low amounts of linoleic acid appear to be associated with increased risk; this combination is common in red meat and some dairy products. High intake of cruciferous vegetables (particularly broccoli and cauliflower) was associated with a significantly lower risk of extra-prostatic tumors. More recently, an analysis of a prospective cohort of 51,529 men from the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study has suggested that dietary intake of lycopene (found in cooked tomatoes) is associated with a lower incidence of prostate cancer and a decreased risk of lethal prostate cancer.

Okay, so now we know we need to look at a combination supplement that contains plant sterols and phytoestrogens and partner it with strategies that help our guys shift towards a plant based diet high in beans and legumes.

But can we pin pumpkin seed specifically here?

Knowing that breast and prostate are analogous and there is poorly funded and not readily available data on prostate and phytosterols, at AIM, we would expand our search to include breast.

A series case control studies in Uruguay found that dietary phytosterol intakes were lower in people diagnosed with stomach, lung, or breast cancer than in cancer-free control groups. Case-control studies in the US found that women diagnosed with breast or uterine cancer had lower dietary phytosterol intakes than women who did not have cancer.

Although higher intakes of plant foods containing phytosterols may be associated with lower cancer risk, it is not clear whether potential anticancer health benefits can be attributed to phytosterols or to other factors in eating plant foods (for example, we cannot account for vitamins, minerals, fiber, spiritual associations with avoiding animal fat).

So let’s back it up a bit, if the conclusions are so difficult to draw, what led researchers to look at phytosterols in the first place?

Well, we found that the investigation was based on robust animal data that looked at a type of phytosterol that inhibits prostate cancer. That phytosterol is sitosterol. So now we have only one more question: Does pumpkin seed contain high amounts of sitosterol?

Moderate amounts. Avocados contain much more. All nuts and seeds, oranges, beets and brussels sprouts are excellent choices. But avocados exceed every other choice in this category. If you eat one-half of an avocado, or about 2/3 cup of cubed avocado, you’ll consume 76 milligrams of beta-sitosterol, compared to 13 mg in a similar portion of pumpkin seeds.

A lot of men’s health blogs like Dr. Michael Murray, Livestrong, Life Extension, and urology blogs, discuss the content of zinc in pumpkin seed as being protective but in fact, the clinical data on zinc (supplementation) is mixed. Some studies show zinc as protective. Some show supplemental zinc as contributing to higher grade more aggressive lesions at diagnosis.

Okay, I know you may be confused. Don’t be. I am going to give you the takeaway.

Supplementation is tricky, and to us, it cannot replace good nutrition.

Supplements can only do two things:

1. Augment nutrition

OR

2. In high doses, from a high quality source, with human data, be used as a therapeutic.

Pumpkin seeds are an EXCELLENT food choice. They play a minor role in prevention, but as a targeted supplement are not necessarily your best choice for fighting prostate cancer alone.

The most effective strategies involve understanding what causes prostate cells to:

1. Grow too fast, and

2. To make mistakes when they do grow

The following would be a good evidenced based and general primer for one of our guys who is on the younger side and is looking at prevention or risk reduction in survivorship.

So is Pumpkin Seed Oil or Extract good for men trying to prevent prostate cancer?

Yes, it has some benefit but a truly effective approach needs to be comprehensive and personalized.

If you cannot get 2 handfuls of organic high quality raw and unsalted pumpkin seeds into your diet daily, please consider the following:

✔ Men’s Pure Pack from Pure Encapsulations

✔ Prostate Support from Gaia

✔ Saw Palmetto Plus from Pure Encapsulations

✔ Prostate 5LX from New Chapter

From BewellwithAIM.com

You can put pumpkin seed in the search, and they should come up, or look them up individually. We hope this settles the Great Pumpkin Debate for good and gives you a lot more confidence in how we make decisions for our guys.

Each one of you are dear to us.

Dr. Roy

PMID: 31091784
PMID: 18660852
PMID: 15767233
PMID: 19091798
PMID: 12022711
PMID: 25281467
PMID: 16566972
PMID: 26976217
PMID: 10070940
PMID: 16678047
PMID: 11142085

Whole Plants as Powerful Healers

By Sheba S. Roy, ND FABNO

WARNING: May contain triggers for those who have been a victim of personal violence

We are in the process of building an herbal dispensary. Our plan is to offer whole, organic, locally sourced, carefully curated herbs, in clinic. Dr. March and I are skilled in putting these herbs together into personalized blends tailored to each patient’s unique needs.

When I was a young adult, I experienced a traumatic incident at my first doctor’s visit without my parents. This resulted in high levels of stress which changed the way my immune system responded to the world around me. Unknown to me and to my doctors, my body stopped making a type of immune compound that was necessary to protect my gastrointestinal (GI) and genitourinary (GU) tract.

Like our patients who may be immunocompromised, I fell victim to all kinds of illnesses. Managed by well-meaning, excellent medical doctors with a 10-year cycle of antimicrobials, I experienced crippling side effects and that caused more damage to my fragile system for which I required more and more medication.

Private pain became my constant companion and my ability to form intimate relationships was impaired. I had always been on a conventional medical tract and worked hard to succeed despite my disability.

As God would have it, I met a naturopathic doctor who figured out what the medical doctors had missed. She listened differently to my history of trauma; her training as an ND mandated that she consider how our state of mind impacts our physical body and she tested my immunoglobulins. 

Sure enough, I wasn’t making an immunoglobulin integral to mucosal health. In addition to support for PTSD, she designed an herbal tea for me and had me drink 3 cups a day for 365 days. My body responded to these herbs. The integrity of my GI and GU tract were restored and my immune system came to life. I never experienced this illness again. The freedom from pain and the experience of true cure was transformative for me.

It is this level of liberation that I aim toward for all of our patients.

The interplay between plants and human health has been documented for at least 5000 years. Herbs delivered as a tea can be a powerful, healing force because they have an entourage effect. They gently shift a person’s health over months and years with little to no side effects.

Both pharmaceutical drugs and supplements are most commonly sourced from natural substances. 25% of all drugs in use today are derived from rainforest plants. Consider that some of the most common drugs we use in cancer care: aspirin, opioids, chemotherapeutics: Taxanes, Vincristines, Vinblastines, and the Irino-and Topo-tecans come from Willow Bark, Poppies, Pacific Yew tree, the Madagascar Periwinkle and the Chinese Happy Tree, respectively.

Many people feel that the most important difference between drugs and supplements is the way that they are regulated. That is an important difference but not a relevant issue for our patients as we are careful to direct you to supplements that are safe, well sourced and not contaminated.

The most important difference for us is that drugs are derived from a single constituent or portion of a plant. That compound is then usually synthesized or mimicked in a lab setting.

For example, the plant, Cannabis Sativa, has gotten a lot of recognition lately.

Cannabis has two main strains or daughters. One is THC (Tetra-hydro-cannabinol) and the other is CBD (cannabidiol).

The THC strain is what we refer to as the marijuana drug.

CBD, on the other hand has no psychoactive or hallucinogenic effects and has become popular as an anxiolytic (anti-anxiety) and analgesic (pain reliever).

CBD, because it is a whole plant, has an entourage effect. There are at least 100 chemical parts (cannabinoids) that act together to balance each other out, enhance each other’s effects, and help each other’s effects to shine. The plant itself is a tiny ecosystem in and of itself. Like a fine wine, the whole plant has textures, tastes, flavors, personality. So when we ingest whole plants we experience slow, gradual impacts that are long lasting and gentle.

Marinol is a pharmaceutical drug where scientists mimic a cannabinoid found in THC in a lab, suspend it in sesame oil and deliver it by capsule. Marinol, looks like THC and acts like THC. It helps with appetite, sleep and weight gain and is commonly prescribed in cancer care. The problem is because it’s a single agent, divorced from all of it’s other parts, it has a sledgehammer-like high, people feel heavy headed on it and wake groggy. Without it’s sister parts, it’s impact, like most drugs, is immediate, effective, short acting and does have side effects.

CBD is excellent as a therapeutic for anxiety but there are many other herbs in our arsenal. One to highlight is Chamomile. In the daisy family, it’s one of oldest herbs known to mankind. Interestingly, it was revered by ancient black and white peoples alike. There are papyri demonstrating that ancient African peoples believed the herb to be sacred. Among Saxon peoples it was used for religious ceremonies as the “Mother of all Herbs”. We know that spiritual healers, regardless of origin believed it powerful in purification and protection.

Medicinally, Chamomile, as a whole plant, has the best data in:
—Initiating Sleep
—Aiding in Digestion
—Helping with Anxiety
—Treating inflammation

In general, using chamomile as a tea, at bedtime, after dinner, and for at least 3 months, we can see powerful shifts: a sense of peace; an inner stillness, and an ability to stay present that may not have existed before.

You can experiment with Chamomile by purchasing the tincture through BewellwithAIM.com from Herb Pharm or Wise Woman Herbals.

Things came full circle and I recently testified in a large trial about that assault. I was one of 18,000 women in a class action suit brought against the institution that protected that predator for 20 years. Afterwards, I went for the longest walk, talked to Dr. March, took an Epsom salt bath with Lavender flowers, covered myself from head to toe in an oil mixture of castor, almond oil and lavender essential oil, and had a cup of very strong Chamomile tea.

I slept a dreamless, restful night.

Recipe for chamomile tea:

Equal parts:
—Chamomile
¼ part:
—Fennel
—Lavender
—Licorice Root (exclude if you have hypertension)

2 tsp of manuka honey
¼ tsp of vanilla extract

Can be made in a large mason jar and refrigerated for a week.
Do not steep herbs for longer than an hour or it can cause nausea.

References:
PMID: 21132119
PMID: 27790360
http://abc.herbalgram.org

Ask the Doctor: Xanax Vs. Natural Alternatives

Q: I’ve been thinking about Xanax for anxiety, are there natural options?

A: Anxiety is a global issue in the cancer community. Not just for patients but for caregivers as well. And understandably so.

As natural medicine doctors, we look at problems holistically. This means we are looking at the root not the symptoms.

Anxiety is a SYMPTOM. And it works on two levels: the mind and the body.

On the mental end, anxiety is the product of thinking about the Past or the Future.

Mindfulness techniques are to keep our minds from ruminating about the past or projecting into the future. In other words, techniques to train our minds to stay present in the moment we are in, and then as that moment passes, to stay present in the next moment we are in, and so on.

It gets easier with practice.

There are spiritual disciplines that focus ONLY on mindfulness, every moment of every day for that disciple’s entire life!

It’s not worth taking drugs or supplements for anxiety without looking at mindfulness first. Respond to us with your favorite resources. Here are some of ours:

—Mindfulness Meditations; websites: SimpleHabit.com; Mindful.org; Headspace.org
—Create a place for meditation, reflection, and prayer, perhaps using an altar, a shawl, a blanket, a mat, incense, crystals, a tasbih or rosary
—Use musical tracks that help you to create this level of presence: Album: Mother Divine; Youtube: Biaural beats; Healthjourneys.com
—Exercise for 30 minutes daily and try to do it (safely), to the point of being breathless
—Yoga: Hatha, Heated, Yin

On the body level, we have 12 big cranial nerves that run from the brain through the body and manage all executive function.

The 10th is called the vagus nerve. It manages the heart, lungs, stomach, small and large intestine, and rectum. It also manages anxiety. This is why anxiety causes an upset stomach, diarrhea, constipation, breathlessness, hiccups, and chest pain.

It’s also why stomach issues, heart problems, and respiratory issues cause anxiety.

It’s important to work on bowel, heart, and lung function, AND we can redirect nerve stimuli from the anxiety pathway by doing things like focusing on Breathing.

In fact, a review of all the clinical data conclusively shows that a twice-daily, 10-minute practice of mindfulness meditation, breath work, and yoga reduces anxiety.

Breathwork can be something as simple as square breathing.
1. Inhale through the nose for a count of 6
2. Hold for a count of 6
3. Exhale through the mouth for a count of 6
4. Hold for a count of 6

After trying these approaches, if we aren’t seeing anxiety completely remit, it’s a good idea to add in natural therapies. Natural medicine doctors follow a therapeutic order with prescription from least invasive/impactful towards most, so often, unless anxiety is acute, we will start here.

The great thing about natural therapies for anxiety is that they are gentle, rarely interact with any other medications and supplements, and have little to no side effects. All of the therapies listed below are available through BewellwithAIM.com. Please remember, natural therapies are not necessarily safe over the counter. They can be contaminated, have source issues, can be contraindicated with a lot of medications, or can even contain carcinogens. If they are safe to get over the counter, or from alternative brands, then I will place a little “s” next to them for “safe to purchase” over the counter.

—Lavender (as an essential oil, capsule, or tea)
—Theanine (as a gummy, capsule, or tablet) (s)
—GABA (as a capsule)
—Passionflower (as a tea) (s)
—Hops (as a tea) (s)
—CBD (as a capsule, tincture, capsule)
—Chamomile (tea) (s)
—Skullcap (capsule)
—Ashwagandha (capsule, tea)
—Magnolia (capsule)
—Magnesium Glycinate (as a powder, capsule, liquid) (s)
—Melatonin (LOW DOSE only, capsule, gummy) (s)
—Lemon Balm (tea, tincture)

It’s not always so simple as just taking one of these things over the counter. We use combinations based on a holistic, individualized approach. As examples:

—If a patient is tired and wired, we may use a formula like Calm Restore from Gaia for 6 months to correct adrenal issues
—If the anxiety is manifests as difficulty sleeping, a lack of energy, cognitive fog and weepiness, we may use a combination called R.E.M. from Priority One.
—If a patient is waking up between 2 and 4 am, crashes in the afternoon, and is feeling burnt out or exhausted, we may try Cortisol Manager from Integrative Therapeutics.
—For sleep initiation, we may combine a formula with 100-400 mg of L-theanine and Lavender essential oil or Chamomile Tea.

Xanax, starting with a 0.25 mg dose, can be quick and effective for anxiety that comes on suddenly and based on a new situation. As in, “I’m having surgery the next day and can’t stop my mind from running.” It’s also a good conversation to begin with a psychiatrist or internist.

But Xanax is not a great drug to take for chronic anxiety (feelings that persist for more than 2 weeks), because we can become dependent, what looks like anxiety may be something else, and most IMPORTANTLY, if we START with Xanax, we don’t learn what mindfulness has the opportunity to teach us:

We only really have this moment.

It may be a surprising thing to realize, but this simple statement is perhaps, the only absolute truth that exists. 

If we can get current with this moment, and experience it, fully, we can face life in a far more meaningful way than we can imagine. 

Regretting the past and obsessing about the future, means we don’t live at all.

Go to BewellwithAIM to purchase supplements for anxiety but make sure to talk to Jessica (covered by your insurance) about mindfulness training and talk to Dr. Roy or Dr. March for personalized, individual strategies to manage anxiety.

Have a question for the doctor? Email us at Dr.Roy@aimnatural.com. We will publish the answer on Facebook, and our website.

Ask the Doctor: Curcumin Vs. Turmeric

In our inaugural newsletter, we are including a section called: Ask the Doctor. Send us emails with your questions at dr.roy@aimnatural.com. We will try to answer one or two in each bulletin. We will post the section on FB and on our website, so look for your answer there as well! 

Question:  “What is the difference between turmeric vs. curcumin?”. 

Answer: “Turmeric” refers to the root of the Curcuma longa plant. That whole root can be powdered, or crushed and used as a food.

“Curcumin” is one of many natural compounds found IN the turmeric root. 

Both turmeric as a whole root, and curcumin as an extract from that root, and have historical uses including well aging and anti inflammation, but CURCUMIN, extracted and in high doses is what we see used in a clinic setting as a therapeutic.

Here at AIM, we recommend, Curcumin from one of two companies: Thorne or Pure Encapsulations. The reason why is when turmeric is sourced into this country, it’s processed with solvents that can cause cancer! Only these two companies third party test for those solvents and others. We trust their process and we trust the cleanliness of the product. We cannot, and do not, recommend Curcumin over the counter. For our patients, it can be purchased safely, only at BeWELLwithAIM.com

Studies show that the doses for Curcumin to work well are rather high. This is a problem because they are large pills, you need to take a lot, you must take it with a fat and it’s most easily absorbed if attached to an extract of black pepper.

While CURCUMIN, not turmeric, in high doses in the right patient, can be a powerful cancer adjunct, it uses the same pathway in the liver as many immunotherapies, hormone blockers and chemotherapeutics, so it can make other drugs more or less effective. AND if you don’t have a well functioning digestive system, it can be hard to absorb. 

In our practice, each patient is approached HOLISTICALLY and INDIVIDUALLY. For a nourished woman trying to stay well in survivorship from ovarian, who is working on metabolic health and may have a well functioning gut, we may start with 2 grams of Curcumin from Thorne or Pure Encapsulations and slowly increase until we get her to 6 gms daily. For someone who has significant levels of inflammation and has just completed a course of chemotherapy for colorectal, we might try 500 mg of Curcumin daily and combine it with gut support. For someone who is trying to prevent heart disease with no history of cancer, we may try a moderate dose along with both pharmaceutical and natural options to optimize vascular flow and stress management. 

With natural medicine there is NO one sized fit all approach. It is a mistake to think of natural therapies as benign or safe across the board for all. This is a mistake that many patients, and doctors alike make. A one sized fit all approach, rather than PERSONALIZED care is still a feature of the culture of medicine.

Call us at 248 798 2942 to make an appointment with  Dr. Roy or March to learn whether you can add this powerful and ancient herb. Until then, enjoy the root, turmeric, as a food and check out our post on how to make it into a comforting nighttime drink.

PMID: 26537958