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It is absolutely astonishing that one out of three people will experience some form of cancer in their lifetimes. Cancer has officially overtaken heart disease as the number one killer in the United States with the statistics getting worse every day. It is estimated by the American Cancer Society that this year alone in the United States there will be 1,372,910 new cancer cases and 570,260 cancer deaths. The traditional treatments are chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery while anything natural has been largely overlooked by the mainstream oncology community. The reasons given are that the results from natural treatments are largely anecdotal or based on hearsay with little or no significant research or testing to back up the claims.

It is my belief that finally a natural treatment has come to light that shows great promise and has the potential to become an integral part of mainstream cancer treatment. The product is called Avemar and unlike other natural cancer treatments this one has the backing of a significant amount of research in the labratory, on test animals and human cancer patients. The way that I found out about this treatment was by reading about it in Dr. David Williams' health newsletter called "Alternatives" (Volume 11, No. 3). I am very fond of the newsletter and Dr. Williams' health discoveries and recommend that you read it also. Just for the record, I receive no financial compensation from Dr. Williams. I just think his health research is interesting and always informative. At the end of this article I will give his website if you are interested in his material.

I had just written an article reviewing Dr. Williams' report on sardines being a food powerhouse (click here) when I saw his very important report on Avemar and felt that FitnessSource1.com readers should be aware of this cancer treatment. You probably haven't heard about it yet because it is new to the United States, however it is a sure bet that you will hear more about it in the coming months.

The story begins with the late Hungarian biochemist Albert Szent-Györgyi who was awarded the 1937 Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine. He is also noted for describing the process of cellular metabolism in what is now referred to as the Krebs cycle. After serving in WWI from 1914 to 1916 as a Hungarian medic, Györgyi became interested in cancer research. Sadly losing both his wife and daughter to the disease he was now intent on finding a cure. Györgyi developed his own theories on cancer and as early as 1941 he was exploring the role of unpaired electrons (now referred to as free radicals) and their link to cancer.

Györgyi emigrated to the U.S. after WWII and continued his cancer research. He came up with a theory that certain naturally occuring compounds called quinones (along with similar compounds) could help to control the proper metabolism in cells. Györgyi found that wheat germ was a powerful source for these quinone compounds and he felt that they could be concentrated further through fermentation with baker's yeast. His early experiments showed promise and his theories about quinones found in wheat germ and their cancer fighting properties appeared to be correct. However, because Györgyi refused to accept government funding and the politics that came with it, his work suffered from lack of financial backing and was largely overlooked. He died in 1986 with his research unfinished.

With the fall of communism in Eastern Europe during the early 1990s, the field of scientific research was allowed to open up and Dr. Máté Hidvégi, also of Hungary, resumed and built upon Dr. Szent-Györgyi's work. It was Dr. Hidvégi who developed the first fermented wheat germ extract for human consumption. Being a devout Catholic Dr. Hidvégi named the early product Avemar in honor of Ave Maria ("Hail Mary" in Latin). Avemar was first launched as a dietary supplement in Hungary in Autumn 1998.

A significant amount of research on Avemar has been done with over 100 reports having been written for presentation or publication since 1996 and 16 peer-reviewed studies are currently accessible on Pub Med (a service of the National Library of Medicine). Probably because it was originally developed there, Hungary has shown the most acceptance with the full support of the Hungarian government and medical community. It has officially been classified there as "a medical nutrient for cancer patients" and has been successfully used for over six years.

What is interesting about Avemar is that it seems to work on several different levels or mechanisms simultaneously:

Avemar inhibits glucose metabolism in cancer cells.
Cancer cells need large amounts of glucose (sugar) in order to grow and proliferate. They use glucose at a rate of 10 to 50 times higher than that of healthy cells. Healthy cells use glucose mainly for energy whereas cancer cells use glucose for growth. When a person's glucose is diverted to cancer cells, fatigue sets in and the body begins to waste away. Avemar reduces glucose flow into cancer cells with the result being that the cancer cells begin to use the available glucose to produce substances that inhibit cell growth and cause the cancer cell to die (apoptosis). Cancer patients experience a normalizing of their metalbolism so that they generally feel better, have less fatigue, pain, depression and an increased appetite resulting in weight gain.

Avemar assists the immune system's ability to identify and destroy cancer cells.
Our bodies have specialized immune cells called natural killer cells (NK cells) that are on a constant mission to destroy any foreign or abnormal cells in our system. However, cancer cells can fool or mislead NK cells by masking their outer membrane with a substance that the NK cells recognize as normal. Avemar suppresses the release of the masking substance allowing NK cells to do their job of killing cancer cells.

Avemar is both a red and white blood cell enhancer.
Studies have shown Avemar increases the regeneration of the blood following radiation and chemotherapy. It seems to restore the bone marrow's ability to produce red and white blood cells. This is a great help to cancer patients receiving radiation and chemo treatments in that therapy-related side effects like nausea, fatigue, weight loss, etc. could be reduced.

Besides cancer, Avemar may help with Autoimmune diseases.
Although most of the research has focused on cancer, there are some studies in other areas. One animal study on lupus was so promising that a clinical study on human lupus patients is now underway. In another study the anti-inflammatory properties of Avemar were beneficial to rheumatoid arthritis patients who failed to respond to anti-inflammatory drugs and other medications.

Avemar has no toxicity or side effects.
A major problem with conventional therapies such as radiation and chemo are that they have a tendency to destroy normal healthy cells as well as cancer cells. Thus the attempt to kill the cancer cells often kills the patient as well. One of the great things about Avemar is that it does its magic without any toxicity or damage to normal cells plus no adverse side effects have been reported.

Avemar helps to stop cancer from spreading.
Dr. Williams points out a very important finding that is consistent in the Avemar studies. It seems to be particularly effective at reducing metastasis or the spreading of the cancer to other sites in the body. This is probably due to Avemar's ability to strengthen the immune system which has a direct influence on cancer metastasis.

Can Avemar Be Used By Itself?
It has been recommended by the manufacturer that Avemar is best used along with conventional cancer therapies such as radiation, chemo, and surgery. In practically all of the studies it has been used in conjunction with these other standard cancer therapies and its role has been to enhance their effects. The jury is still out on whether Avemar is effective if used by itself. Only further research will be able to answer this question. My personal feeling would be to play it safe and confer with your doctor about the use of Avemar. It's a good possibility that he doesn't even know about it yet but word is sure to spread quickly.

Could Avemar be used by otherwise healthy people in an effort to prevent cancer?
Although some animal experiments would suggest this, once again the jury is still out on this issue. Avemar appears to reduce the expression of faulty genes that can trigger cancer, but more research is needed. Dr. Williams feels that unless someone had a known high risk for developing cancer or was in danger of a reoccurence, preventative dietary and lifestyle habits would prove to be more cost-effective. I feel that this is something that should be discussed with a doctor who is familiar with Avemar.

Can someone just eat wheat germ and get the same results?
Unfortunately not. Although wheat germ is a nutritious food, the chemical properties of wheat germ's components are profoundly altered during the fermentation and production of Avemar making its chemical composition entirely different that that of wheat germ.

How does Avemar taste?
The one downside to Avemar is that it does not have a pleasant taste, probably due to the fermentation process. The manufacturer is working to improve the taste and has developed a new mild orange flavor - better but not great.

How can I find out more about Avemar?
Avemar is produced in Budapest, Hungary by Biromedicine. They have a very good website that has a lot of information at www.Avemar.com. I suggest to go here first (click the English speaking version at the website entrance). the product is being sold under the name Avé in the United States, but it is exactly the same. American Biosciences, Inc. is responsible for making Avemar available in the U.S. and their website is www.AvemarUSA.com. The site is quite sparse but they give a phone number to call for more information: 888-884-7770. Avé is also available through The Harmony Company at 800-422-5518. I tried searching Google (and other search engines) for Avemar and came up with other places to buy the product plus more information. The base price for a 30-day supply of Avé is $179.95 although some sources have lower prices.

I want to make it clear that my purpose for this article is to let everyone know that this seemingly safe and effective product exists. I have received no money or financial compensation for writing this article. I am not a doctor but just happen to think that if you know someone with cancer this could be of great benefit in their treatment therapy. Of course, I highly recommend consulting a doctor before taking this or any cancer therapy.

Check out Dr. David Williams' website
I recommend that you visit Dr. David Williams' website www.drdavidwilliams.com and consider subscribing to his monthly "Alternatives" newsletter. It will definitely be of great interest if you are a health concious person who wants to be kept updated on the latest health findings of Dr. Williams.

FitnessSource1.com receives no financial compensation from Dr. David Williams, Biromedicine, American Biosciences, Inc., or The Harmony Company. This article is presented for informational purposes only and FitnessSource1.com assumes no responsibility in the correct or incorrect use of this information. Always consult your doctor.