By Simon Yu, MD
In case you didn’t know, about 70 percent of the wild Tasmanian devil population has disappeared from Tasmania Island due to a facial tumor. This has occurred just since 1996 when it was first recognized. Tasmanian devils are a carnivorous marsupial from Australia. If the current rate of decline continues, devils could become extinct in 30 years. Why is this information important to anyone, besides those who watch the Tasmanian devil cartoon character from Warner Brothers Looney Tunes?
A group of scientists feel they have discovered the identity of a contagious cancer that kills Tasmanian devils. The aggressive, non-viral, transmissible cancer of the Tasmanian devils’ facial tumor disease stems from cells that normally insulate nerve fibers, known as Schwann cells. Genetic analysis indicates a single Tasmanian devil with cancerous Schwann cells has passed the cancer to other Tasmanian devils. (Science, Jan 2010)
Scientists initially suspected that a virus might have caused the tumors, but the study confirms that the cancer cells themselves are transmitted Tasmanian devil to Tasmanian devil based on chromosomal analysis.
I am not aware of our current medical literature that discusses contagious, infectious cancer cells transmitting and spreading from human to human. Watson and Crick’s 1953 landmark scientific paper described DNA and the double helix. Ever since, during the last 50 years, medical science has been searching for the hidden genetic code for the cause of cancer.
The Human Genome Project began in 1990 at the NIH (National Institute of Health). It was initially headed by James Watson with a great expectation that the mapping of the human genes is an important step in the development of medicine and other aspects of health care, especially for curing cancer.
The original Human Genome Project was designed and hyped as cracking the secret of life, like the popular book, Da Vinci Code. The truth is there have been no major breakthrough cures for cancer from sequencing the DNA. However, a breakthrough realization has emerged from the new science of epigenetics which explains that the environment regulates genetic expression.
For the Tasmanian devil study in Science magazine, it was like a Duh Vinci moment for cracking the Cancer Code. It was simply an infectious, contagious cancer cell spreading animal to animal. The conclusion of the entire “contagious cancer cell” theory is based on a sketchy observation that the chromosomal analysis proves that the tumor cell could not have descended from the animal’s own cells.
Infectious cancer cell? Do cancer cells have the characteristic of infectious microbes? In the late 19th century and early 20th century, many medical professionals thought infectious diseases caused cancer. They were debating which infectious microbes caused what kind of cancer.
We know certain viruses and parasites have been associated with cancer. As an example, the Epstein-Barr virus has been associated with nasopharyngeal carcinoma and Burkitt’s lymphoma. Hepatitis B and C viruses have been associated with hepatocellular carcinoma. Schistosoma fluke and Clonorchis liver fluke (flukes are forms of parasites) have been associated with squamous carcinoma of the bladder and cholangiocarcinoma of the liver.
In my clinical experience, parasite medications have been the most effective and quickest means to balance the meridians, when given with other herbal and homeopathic remedies, for so many chronically ill patients. Using appropriately prescribed parasite medications to balance the meridians often causes a successful response to so many medically unexplained symptoms (MUS), including cancer. (See my articles, “Do You Have MUS?” and others on parasites.)
November 20, 2009, I saw Joel V., a 58 year old man with non-small cell carcinoma of unknown primary origin. He had a massive swelling of his left thigh and leg, characteristic of the tropical parasite disease called elephantiasis. He didn’t respond to chemotherapy and was sent home under hospice care. Acupuncture meridian assessment indicated 23 out of 40 major meridians were out of balance. The large intestine and gallbladder meridians were extremely out of balance. I started him on an intensive body cleansing program including parasite medications, ivermectin and levamisole. Joel was so sick, I wasn’t sure he could take the medications or would ever come back to see me again.
January 4, 2010, I saw Joel. He stated that the day after Christmas he noticed a sudden improvement in his leg swelling and began to feel better. He lost over 20 pounds of fluid. The pain disappeared and his energy was coming back. I had to remind him that he has a long way to go to fully recover from his cancer. How can he respond so fast to the parasite medications? I’m not treating the cancer but only balancing the meridians and the response has been hard to believe.
I’ve written many articles regarding parasites and cancer. For those of you who have read my articles on these topics, do you think there is a connection between the Tasmanian devil’s facial cancers, parasites, and possibly human cancers like Joel’s?
Last week, the Post Dispatch published an article that said Washington University Medical School received 13 million dollars from the Gates Foundation. The study, led by Gary Weil, MD, is to lead toward eradicating the two major tropical diseases, elephantiasis and river blindness. It is interesting to note that he is trying to use different combinations of parasite medications at higher doses and a more frequent dosing schedule, than is recommended, to a mass population. In my clinical practice, I have found this to be very effective.
In 2000, I had a firsthand experience with anti-parasite medications when I was activated by the US Army Reserve to Bolivia for a medical mission. Our US Army medical group was dispensing parasite medications, pyrental pamoate and mebendazole to a large population of indigenous Andes Indians. (Note: readers may remember this story from one of my previous articles, “Bolivia Connection”.)
I’m excited to see that the Gates Foundation is trying to eradicate common major parasites in tropical countries like New Guinea and Africa. However I hope the Foundation is not over looking people suffering in Missouri, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky and the rest of the US, especially Washington DC.
Is it possible that the Tasmanian devil’s cancer cell might be a carrier of an unrecognized infectious microbe or parasite? A fascinating note is that scientists have been shocked to find high levels of potentially carcinogenic flame retardant chemicals in Tasmanian devils. The Tasmanian devils are telling us if we cannot control infectious “cancer cell” microbes and environmental toxins, we may have the same fate as the Tasmanian devils. I think Science magazine’s Duh Vinci report is not ready to crack the Code for cancer.
Dr. Simon Yu, M.D. is a Board Certified Internist. He practices Internal Medicine with an emphasis on Alternative Medicine to use the best each has to offer. For more articles and information about alternative medicine as well as patient success stories visit his web site at www.PreventionAndHealing.com or call Prevention and Healing, Inc., 314-432-7802. You can also attend a free monthly presentation and discussion by Dr. Yu on Alternative Medicine at his office on the second Tuesday each month at 6:30 pm. Please call to verify the date and reserve your space.