Sugar Feeds Cancer, Plants Come to the Rescue

It really stinks when all of the pets you adopted after college get old. Three years ago this coming May, Stinson, my best friend, and beloved 8 year-old, 150 lb Labrador/Rottweiler mix was diagnosed with osteosarcoma (bone cancer). They said he had 3-4 months to live. We had to finally put him down three days before Christmas in 2007… seven months later.

Eighteen months ago, my 18 year-old kitty, Aspen was diagnosed with renal (kidney) failure. They said he had six months to live. He’s still happily alive and seems no different today.

In January, our 12 year-old German Shepherd, Scully (my husband had a thing for the red head on The X-Files…) was diagnosed with anal gland cancer. Our vet said she had a few weeks to live. She’s doing great six weeks later.

Through all this tragedy, I’ve become quite the cancer/kidney failure expert. Being trained in science, I don’t just take what any doctor says as the final word. I do my research to find ways to help keep them happy and alive. I’ve managed to fight the odds with all three pets so far by turning to plants and in the cancer cases – staying away from sugar.

I did some research on the internet and found that in the late 1950’s there were vet students at Johns Hopkins who studied and published findings stating dogs and cats don’t need carbohydrates. They also don’t need sugar, corn or processed wheat. They’re carnivores and they ate meat and only meat in the wild.

So, why is most pet food made of corn and processed wheat?

It’s cheaper…that’s why. Just like with cows, chickens and pigs, it’s cheaper to feed pets corn and processed wheat. If they say it’s bad for cows and chickens, why would anyone in their right mind feed it to their pets?

I don’t think they know they’re killing their pets.

After reading this article from Hopkins, I did some further research and I found that they also discovered sugar (including sugar that comes from processed carbohydrates) feeds cancer. I learned you shouldn’t eat sugar when you have cancer because the tumor will grow faster. I learned we probably shouldn’t be eating sugar and processed carbs at all because they can cause cancer.

We’ve learned cows, pigs and chickens can’t process these carbohydrates and that this type of food makes them sick.

Wake up folks!

The same thing is happening to us. Until recently, no one knew these facts.

Thanks to all the food movements, people are much more aware of what they eat, but are they aware they are feeding the same bad ingredients to their pets?

We have choices. Most grocery stores are now carrying healthy alternatives to processed foods, but what about pets? Big pet stores still carry mostly processed food. Specialty stores (the equivalent of a Wholefoods for pets) carry healthy, nutritious foods made from meats (real meats – not the scraps that fall on the floor), vegetables and brown rice – all wholesome ingredients.

Ever notice the color of Purina Dog Chow?

The kibble is golden yellow isn’t it? Ever read the label? The first ingredient is corn. Ugh!

What angered me most when my first dog got bone cancer was that the vet said there was no proof that sugar fed cancer. I asked if I should change his food and he looked at me like I was crazy. Then I doubted myself.

I shouldn’t have…

That fall, I went in for my first mammogram. A jolly good time indeed! While I was sitting in the waiting room, I read one of the scary brochures that explains what will happen if they do find a lump. Imagine my surprise when I read a clear description defining how they will inject sugar water into you so that it can find the cancer cells. In other words, if your lump is cancer – the sugar water will stick to the cells.

You’ve got to be kidding me!

I was so mad. My scientific mind had the proof it needed to ask more questions, so I got on the Internet and found other people who had dogs with bone cancer. They all said first and foremost – stop feeding your dog carbohydrates (aka sugar).

Aha! I wasn’t crazy.

I think what made me so mad was that the researchers from over 50 years ago were onto something, but it was never made public. I know this happens all the time, but it infuriates me.

Would my dog have been spared cancer if I knew this earlier?

We’ll never know.

Do doctors tell people who get cancer they shouldn’t eat sugar? I know most doctors care nothing about nutrition. I have worked really hard to find a family doctor and a vet who do care. Both practice Eastern (Chinese) medicine first and then resort to Western medicine if all else fails.

Here’s my proof.

Once I found out he had cancer, Stinson, ate only dog food made from meats and veggies, along with lots and lots of blueberries. He also had Chinese herbs that contained many perennials as well as weird things like hornet’s nest.

He had no amputation, nor did he have chemotherapy. He did have two shots of radiation, which didn’t seem to do anything, but I’ll never know.

I chose to keep him comfortable as best I could, while spending my money on Chinese medicine and acupuncture. He had a happy seven months and was nearly pain free for most of that time. This is Stinson’s portrait on the left. It was painted by Baltimore’s own Robert McClintock. He did a wonderful job capturing his regal presence.

Aspen, the kitty, has been spared through the use of Chinese herbs as well. In the mixture he’s taking, there is Cornus (dogwood), Paeonia (peony), Dioscorea (wild yam), Aconitum (monkshood), and Cinnamomum (cinnamon). His kidney levels have not declined as they predicted and you’d never know he’s sick. I’m sure it will happen some day, but for now, these fine plant extracts are keeping him going…haha – if you’ve ever had a cat with kidney failure – you know they “go” a lot.

Scully-girl, our German shepherd is doing quite well despite the anal cancer and I know the herbs are doing something. I ran out for two days and she had this forlorn look on her face, as if the end was near. Hours after she got the new batch, she was her old self. She’s taking Angelica (purple angelica), Cimicifuga (bugbane), Jujubae (Chinese date), and Zingiber (ginger).

Pretty cool, huh?

It’s not just Echinacea any more folks, just about every plant we grow in the nursery industry has some herbal-medicinal use. Did you know Rhus (sumac) was good for joint pain? We all know Taxus (yews) are used to make Taxol, the cancer-treating drug, but did you know there were so many natural remedies coming from non-tropical plants?

This makes Avatar, the movie, a bit more believable, doesn’t it?

I truly believe this is the reason we’re in this horrible health state in the US. We don’t take care of ourselves. Here I go telling you to take care of your pets too! I know. It’s just one more thing to add to the list.

I feel like I want to scream from the rooftop “Stop feeding your kids, your pets and yourselves CRAP!”

Wouldn’t it be nice if we could beat the odds on some of the horrible diseases like diabetes and cancer by changing the way we eat?

Wouldn’t it be nice if most big dogs didn’t die of bone cancer?

We’ll see if my theories work on the new dog. Our youngest dog (the exuberant German shorthaired pointer you’ve heard about) has never had anything but wholesome grains, meat and veggies to eat. If he gets cancer, I’ll eat my words, knowing I did my best. Hopefully, I’m right and he’ll die of old age many years from now.

Our generation of pets and people may not die of old age, unless we start taking care of ourselves and eating right?

Until next week…

Happy Weeding!

Angela Treadwell Palmer
President, Plants Nouveau

P.S. Here’s an interesting fact I found while researching the medicinal properties of many of the plants I am introducing from around the world, the coolest use I’ve found is for Cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis). Did you know that a poultice of the leaves can applied to the head to relieve the pain of headaches?

So, if you drink too much wine while relaxing in the garden, chop up some cardinal flower stems and make your self a poultice, which is a soft moist mass, often heated and medicated, that is spread on cloth over the skin to treat aching and swelling.

We have interest in our new Lobelia cardinalis ‘Fried Green Tomatoes’ from nurseries in the US, Canada and all over Europe. This is one terrific selection. Most purple leaved cardinal flower selections are not long lived and they can be weak garden plants.

Fried Green Tomatoes is a super strong selection that grows to five feet tall and three feet wide in two growing seasons. I’m not lying when I say this selection grows a foot each day while I am at work in June.

Sometimes plants that grow quickly like sunflowers (Helianthus sp.) and cup plants (Silphium sp.) also flop rather quickly. Not Fried Green Tomatoes. This plant stands tall throughout the summer without flopping. This selection also has green new growth that fades to deep, eggplant purple – completely opposite of most other purple leaved selections. Most purple leaved selections begin purple and age to dark green.

Like I said in the the issue entitled, Towanda! Empowering Gardeners to Plant Cardinal Flowers Again, all cardinal flowers are biennial, so you MUST cut back the stems after they flower to have this plant survive year after year. Once you cut back the old stems, a new basal rosette of foliage appears, and that’s what makes next year’s plant.

Fried Green Tomatoes comes to us from New Moon Nursery in Bridgeton, NJ. New Moon specializes in native, mostly seedling grown, perennials, grasses, aquatics and ferns. Their motto is “From the water to the woods.”

James, the owner of New Moon has been scouring the seedling flats looking for unusual seedlings. Thank goodness he did because this is quickly becoming one of our most popular selections.

In closing, I leave you with a quick video update on the garden. Heuchera ‘Stainless Steel’, Campanula ‘Viking’ and Stokesia laevis ‘Elf’ have poked their heads out and they are so very ready for spring.

Click here to view the Plants Nouveau video Blizzard Update 2010.

The snow is melting, the birds are chirping and much to my dismay – the squirrels are back. Spring is near and everyone knows it.

Time to get out in the garden and enjoy!