This article appeared in the June 19th issue of the Daily Telegraph:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/global/main.jhtml?
xml=/global/2006/06/19/hprostate19.xml&DCMP=EMC-exp_23062006

For more information on Prof Pfeifer's protocol, see
www.clearfeed.com/pfeifer
Does anyone know anything about this herbal preparation??

The cocktail to beat cancer?
By Jill Palmer
(Filed: 19/06/2006)

A potent mix of herbs and vitamins devised by a European specialist has
brought new hope to men with advanced prostate cancer. Jill Palmer
reports

Al and Faith Smith were determined on an idyllic retirement, and, in
1995, the couple - who'd been together for three years - rented a second
home on the Greek island of Kalymnos where they had holidayed
previously.
Al and Faith Smith
Al Smith, with his wife Faith: 'taking charge of my body gave me a sense
of empowerment'

They enjoyed the best of both worlds, spending their summers in Britain
and winters on the island. Al, a former sales manager, grew tomatoes and
courgettes, went fishing and took photographs, while Faith, a writer,
devoted her time to completing a book on sponge diving. They had never
been happier and all was set fair for that idyll.

But their contentment was shattered when Al was diagnosed with advanced
prostate cancer. He spent months on potent drugs but when they stopped
working, the cancer continued to spread.

Having exhausted the possibilities of conventional medicine, they turned
to alternative treatments - and that was when Faith discovered a
cocktail of herbs that, according to Swiss research, had prolonged the
lives of patients with a similar prognosis to Al.

What followed was a struggle to persuade doctors to test the herbal
cocktail. Thanks to Faith's tenacity, Al is now one of the first men in
this country to try the treatment as part of a pioneering study overseen
by a leading British oncologist.

The story began in August 2004, when Al started to experience prostate
problems; he was urinating frequently and urgently, and getting up
several times in the night. He wasn't too concerned because he felt well
in himself. However, Faith encouraged him to go to the local doctor who
gave him a blood test to measure the levels of a protein known as
prostate-specific antigen (PSA), an indicator of cancer.

The results were alarming: Al had a PSA of 37 - normal levels range from
0 to 4.

Al, 71, and Faith, 56, returned to Britain for a second opinion; he had
a private MRI scan and an ultra-sound. These confirmed their worst fears
- Al had prostate cancer that had already spread to the bone and lymph
glands. Another blood test showed his PSA levels had escalated to 82.

"It was hard to take in. It hit me hard," says Al. "I had cancer. But I
was not suffering from cancer. I was not dying from cancer. I was living
with cancer and intended to carry on that way."

The disease was aggressive, and, because the tumour was large and
uncontainable, surgery and radiotherapy were not appropriate. "I was
told my only option was hormonal drugs that would control the symptoms
and keep the cancer in check."

Around 32,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer in Britain every
year, and 10,000 die of the disease. Although surgery and radiotherapy
can be successful if it is diagnosed early, for one in five men - like
Al - the disease has already spread by the time it is detected.
(Although it is easy to diagnose, many men with symptoms are reluctant
to visit their doctor at an early stage.)

For them, treatment involves hormone therapy: injections of a pituitary
down-regulator (which halts production of the male hormone testosterone
that stimulates the cancer cells), such as Zoladex, or anti-androgen
tablets (which block testosterone reaching the cancer cells), such as
Casodex. But in more than 50 per cent of patients, the body stops
responding to the drugs after a few years; this is known as hormone-
refractory prostate cancer.

Al opted for Casodex because it has less extreme side effects - Zoladex
can cause impotence and incontinence. The pills controlled his symptoms
and reduced his PSA levels. Faith insisted that a sceptical Al should
try complementary therapies, too, so they visited Bristol Cancer Help
Centre. He was advised to adopt a vegetarian diet with no dairy or
alcohol. He also took up Qigong, a Chinese exercise programme that co-
ordinates breathing patterns with physical movements.
   

"All this helped my determination to be positive," he says. "Focusing my
mind and taking charge of my body gave me a sense of empowerment."

A few months later, the cancer was in remission, and the couple returned
to Kalymnos where, they thought, the stress-free existence would help Al
to recover. Each month, he went to the local doctor for a check-up.
Initially, his PSA levels dropped further, to 0.8 but, after a few more
months, it started to creep up again - slowly at first and then rapidly.
Soon, it was doubling every month.

The doctor offered Al injections of Zoladex, but he refused, because
they could cause impotence. "I knew that it was not a long-term
option," says Al. "It, too, would eventually lose its effectiveness. In
any case, I am a chicken about destructive therapies."

In desperation, Faith turned to the internet. Her research led her to
Professor Ben Pfeifer, director of clinical research at the renowned
Aeskulap Clinic in Switzerland, who specialises in combining
conventional and complementary cancer therapies.

She read about Prof Pfeifer's success in treating prostate patients with
a phytotherapy (the medicinal use of plants) protocol of four
supplements, taken in specifically designed cocktails every day. These
were Prostasol, which contains a range of herbs and dietary supplements
with proven efficacy in supporting the prostate; Imupros, containing
vitamins, trace elements, ginseng, lycopene, and green-tea extract to
aid prostate function; Curcumin Complex, an extract of turmeric, which
is a potent antioxidant - to mop up cancer-causing free radicals - and
an anti-inflammatory; and Biobran, made from Japanese rice bran, which
boosts the immune system.

A one-year clinical study involved 184 patients with advanced and end-
stage prostate cancer. In two thirds of patients, their symptoms were
relieved, PSA levels were reduced by up to 50 per cent, tumours shrank,
and the disease's progression was inhibited. When the trial was extended
for five years to include a further 1,250 European men, similar results
were obtained.

Faith contacted Prof Pfeifer but her hopes were dashed by the protocol's
cost - £500 a month. She found it wasn't available on the NHS. But she
was determined not to give up and decided to try to interest British
doctors in the study. This led her to Tim Oliver, professor of medical
oncology at St Bartholomew's and the Royal London NHS Trust. She
bombarded him with facts.

"When I saw the findings of the European research using these
supplements, it really interested me," says Prof Oliver. "I was
particularly attracted to this protocol because unlike other prostate-
cancer treatments, it does not cause impotency.

"Finding a treatment for men who no longer respond to conventional
hormone treatment is the holy grail of prostate cancer. There is nothing
I can offer these men in the long term; with advanced tumours, the
average hormone therapy will last between two and four years."

Prof Oliver agreed to run a 10-man study in London but first had to
obtain the expensive supplements for which he couldn't secure NHS
funding. Faith contacted their British distributors - they are mainly
formulated in the Netherlands - and persuaded them to donate the drugs
to Prof Oliver. She also e-mailed Prof Pfeifer, who agreed to liaise
with the London study and advise on Al's case.

This January, Al became the first British patient to start the protocol.
Although his PSA was 42, he stopped the Casodex and instead took a
mixture of 10 pills every day. He and the other nine men will be
monitored by Prof Oliver for up to 18 months.

"At this stage, it is too early to be deemed a trial," says Prof Oliver.
"Herbal medicine has been tried before and you have to be careful. A few
years ago, another herbal mixture known as PC-SPECS had to be withdrawn
because of contamination. But herbs could have a useful place in the
treatment of prostate cancer and this study could enable us to validate
it in a cost-effective way.

"If I can confirm the Pfeifer findings, I will carry on and do further
clinical research which is properly approved and documented."

Within a few days of taking the supplements, Al's urine flow was much
stronger with less urgency and frequency and he was sleeping better.
After two weeks, his PSA had halved to 21; after a month, it was down to
10; today it is seven.

"I know this is not a cure, but it is an exciting development," says Al.
"Hopefully it will continue to improve my quality and quantity of life
for a long time to come."
# For more information on Prof Pfeifer's protocol, see
www.clearfeed.com/pfeifer.The cocktail to beat cancer?
By Jill Palmer
(Filed: 19/06/2006)