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Old Fri Jan 13, 2012, 01:15 PM
Greg H Greg H is offline
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Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: North Carolina
Posts: 660
Some more thoughts on Telomerase

Hi All!

I've been doing some more thinking about the article Birgitta posted on telomerase inhibition and activation.

One section of the article lists a variety of "natural" substances that contain phytochemicals that seem to have some ability to inhibit telomerase: garlic, curcumin, EGCG (the active ingredient in green tea), soy, reservatrol (from red wine).

Now, if you're like me, once you figured out that MDS can be classified as a cancer, you went out and started reading up on things you could do -- in addition to following your doctor's advice -- to improve your odds of fighting the disease. I read "Anti-Cancer," by David Servan-Schreiber, which helpfully explained how a lot of these substances can contribute to the death of cancer cells. So, I developed a taste for green tea.

But, as it turns out, that green tea may be useful as a cancer-fighter mostly because it messes up the telomerase cycle. And the kind of MDS I have may be the result of a messed up telomerase cycle.

Now, I'm not suggesting green tea gave me MDS. I never knowingly ingested green tea until after I was diagnosed. But its an interesting example of how some "natural" remedy that's good for one kind of cancer might not be the right choice for another.

Our diseases, cancer, MDS, AA, PNH, are, it turns out, all unique and pretty darned complicated. And that can make it pretty tricky to decide what strategies to use to try to heal yourself.

Take care!

Greg
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Greg, 59, dx MDS RCMD Int-1 03/10, 8+ & Dup1(q21q31). NIH Campath 11/2010. Non-responder. Tiny telomeres. TERT mutation. Danazol at NIH 12/11. TX independent 7/12. Pancreatitis 4/15. 15% blasts 4/16. DX RAEB-2. Beginning Vidaza to prep for MUD STC. Check out my blog at www.greghankins.com
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