Guest guest Posted August 30, 2004 Report Share Posted August 30, 2004 (Moderator's Note: I agree this product is way overpriced. I also suspect that this product is probably available at a relatively cheap price locally in China. As for their being no references in PubMed. that is not unusual. China is not oriented to western medical publication and it's subsequent marketing system which are both dominated by western drug manufacturors. They have many sophisticated herbal treatment medications most of which have not undergone indepth study and analysis yet but even the ones that have been studied are usually not found in western medical literature. ) > 29 Aug 2004 19:46:52 -0000 > " Cancer Decisions " > < > THE MOSS REPORTS Newsletter (08/29/04) > > > ---------------------- > Ralph W. Moss, Ph.D. Weekly CancerDecisions.com > Newsletter #147 08/29/04 > ---------------------- > > > > THE MOSS REPORTS > > > > This week, the Moss Reports free weekly newsletter > marks its third anniversary. > > When I began writing these newsletters in August > 2001 my intention was to use the medium of email to > keep in touch with the small group of people who had > read my books and who had expressed an interest in > my work. I had no idea that the newsletter would > grow the way it has, nor that it would take on an > autonomous existence as a forum for news and > commentary on alternative approaches to cancer. > The newsletter now reaches tens of thousands of > rs each week, and generates a lively > exchange of ideas from scientists and interested > laypeople from around the world. Just last week I > received messages from readers and researchers in > the US, Canada, Sweden, Azerbaijan and Israel. > > Similarly, thirty years ago, when I began studying > the complexities of cancer therapy, I had no idea > that my fascination with this subject would lead me > to write an extensive library of reports on the > conventional and alternative treatment of over 200 > different kinds of cancer. > > If you or someone you love has received a diagnosis > of cancer, a Moss Report can provide you with the > key to understanding the best that conventional and > alternative medicine have to offer. You can order a > Moss Report on your specific cancer type by calling > Diane at 1-800-980-1234 (814-238-3367 from outside > the US), or by visiting our website: > http://www.cancerdecisions.com > > We look forward to helping you. > > > > A FRIENDLY SKEPTIC LOOKS AT TIAN XIAN > > > Many readers have asked my opinion of Tian Xian > (pronounced dee-an-see-an), an herbal supplement and > purported cancer cure that originated in China. > > There are various websites selling and promoting > this product (for example, tianxian.com, > tian-xian.com, cancer-central.com, etc.). On many of > these you will find strong warnings about > counterfeit versions of Tian Xian—so it is difficult > if not impossible to tell if you are getting the > authentic and original Tian Xian or some phony > knock-off. To confuse things further, the product is > now being manufactured and sold in the USA under the > name Tien Hsien liquid (tienhsien.com). In addition > there are distributors in at least 15 countries, > many of whom maintain their own commercial presence > on the Web. > > You need a scorecard to keep track of all the > players, and I don't claim to have one. For the > purposes of this review, therefore, I will call the > product " Tian Xian " and refer to the > www.tian-xian.com website as my primary source of > information on the product > > The company's marketing strategy strongly hinges on > testimonials. There are dozens of these. Some > patients claim that by taking the liquid, they were > able to shrink their tumors or make them go away > entirely. Some of these cases, if genuine, are truly > impressive. But it is impossible to tell from many > of these stories whether it was the Tian Xian that > made the tumors shrink or whether some other > concurrent treatment, such as radiation or > chemotherapy, brought about the improvement. > > Readers can judge the credibility of these > testimonials for themselves. I would only caution > that there are several major problems in relying on > anecdotes to assess the effectiveness of cancer > treatments. For example: > > --Patients may misinterpret their own medical > condition or history. People do not always listen > carefully when they are very sick, or fully absorb > what they have been told. They may not fully > understand, in a dispassionate and scientific way, > the natural course of their illness and its > treatment. Doctors themselves may make inaccurate > statements, which are then taken as dogma by the > patients and their families. > --Patients may mis-state the course of their > disease. They may be eager to thank those who have > treated them kindly and whom they perceive to be > helping them. It's only human nature to do so. But > that can lead to distortions in their accounts. > --The statements of patients may be deliberately > changed or distorted by others, usually for > commercial purposes. > --Some testimonials may be fictitious. In the most > extreme cases, these " patients " may either not exist > at all, or may be paid shills. While I believe this > is rare, in my 30 years in this field I have > witnessed this sort of deception. > > Even so, testimonials can be both instructive and > valuable. They form a good starting point for an > investigation. But in and of themselves they are NOT > an adequate demonstration of the effectiveness of a > new treatment, orthodox or unconventional. > Establishing the effectiveness of a potential new > treatment requires a considerable amount of hard > work and a formidable investment of time and money. > We can complain all we want about the bureaucratic > hassles put in the way of true innovators. But until > we have the results of laboratory studies and > rigorous clinical trials we do not have reliable > information on any proposed treatment. > > > Publications > > > I looked forward eagerly to reading the > " publications " section of the tian-xian.com website. > I anticipated substantial research results. But > instead of scientific studies what I found were a > number of popular books, all with garish covers, in > five or six languages. Books in English included > " The Cancer Terminator: The Marvellous Effects of > China No. 1 Tian Xian Liquid " and " Never Ever Give > Up! Survival from Cancer. " Both, not surprisingly, > were written by Wang Zhen Guo, the inventor of Tian > Xian. > > > Who is Wang Zhen Guo? > > > According to a spokesman, " Dr. Wang Zhen Guo, the > formulator of Tien Hsien Liquid from China, is the > guest professor of two universities in China since > 2001 till now. One is called ‘Guang Zhou University > of Traditional ,' and the other is > called ‘Guang Xi College of Traditional Chinese > Medicine.' > > At his website Wang gives a rather charming picture > of his early life. He says that " at my age of 18…I > was undergoing practical training at the Liu Dao Gou > Health Clinic in Tong Hua City in the capacity as an > intern in a medical institute. " This will surprise > most readers, since at age 18 a would-be Western > doctor is only just beginning his or her pre-medical > education. We do not have an equivalent category of > " intern in a medical institute, " who wears a white > coat and gets to treat cancer patients. Wang, who > began his working career as a pig tender, was > already a village herbalist when he attended the > " Western " medical school in his area, the Province > Tong Hua City Health School). He then had two years > of training. > > He claims to have received many honors since he > first introduced the product in 1989. For instance, > he says he received an award for the " Best > Individual Invention " at the 38th Brussels Eureka > World Fair for Invention. At the tianxian.com > website there are pictures of him receiving awards, > as well as a picture of him posing with China State > Chairman Mr. Jiang Zemin. This could indicate a > certain degree of government sanction for his > activities. Having never heard of the Eureka World > Fair for Invention, I searched for it on the > Internet but came up with only a few references, > almost all of which originated from various Tian > Xian websites themselves. > > Similarly, Wang claims to have received the " Second > Annual Technology Entrepreneurs Award " in China as > well as the " National Distinguished Contribution > Award for Outstanding Young Professional. " Searching > on these terms you are again brought back to Tian > Xian websites. While these awards may be significant > in China this fact fails to register on Western > search engines. Certainly as far as Google's search > of over four billion pages is concerned, these are > not internationally recognized honors. > > > What is Tian Xian? > > > The company's website says that Tian Xian is > manufactured from " rare selected herbs and is > produced under the strictest guidelines ensuring a > product that is pure and free of contaminants. " > There are in fact twelve listed ingredients: > > Cordyceps (caterpillar mushroom) > Astragalus > Ganoderma lucidum (or reishi mushroom) > Panax ginseng root > White Atractylodes Rhizome (Atractylodes > macrocephalae rhizoma) > Batatatis Rhizoma (Dloscorea batatas) > Codonopsis Root (Codonopsis pilosula) > Patchouli Leaves (Pogostemon cablin) > Barbary Wolfberry Fruit (Lycium barbarum) > Pearl Powder (Margarita) > Glossy Privet Fruit (Ligustrum lucidum AIT) > Licorice Root (Radix glycyrrhizae) > > For the most part, these are well known and well > regarded Chinese herbs. Indeed, some of them have > been used for hundreds of years in the treatment of > cancer and other serious diseases. With traditional > treatments of this sort there are usually some > publications to be found in PubMed, the National > Library of Medicine's international medical journal > database, and indeed PubMed does have citations for > articles on some of the individual ingredients > listed above. However—and this is the important > thing—I can find zero scientific studies on the > topic of Tian Xian itself. The inventors apparently > went straight from formulating this mixture to > selling it direct to the public without the > intervention of a single scientific study. > > If the promoters are to be believed, Tian Xian has > now been used by " over one million people all over > the world and has had tremendous success. " Again, we > are thrown back on the vagaries of testimonials for > proof of this " success. " > > What might be the harm in taking Tian Xian? > > The fact that Tian Xian's ingredients are mainly > herbal in nature certainly does not preclude the > possibility of toxicity. Singly, the ingredients > themselves are probably harmless, although I can > find no evidence from Tian Xian's manufacturers that > any toxicity studies have been carried out, nor it > is possible to establish whether acceptable > standards of purity and potency have been adhered to > in the manufacturing process. > > There is always the risk that people will assume > that because a product is ‘natural' it is therefore > harmless, and that if a little is good, more is > better. Because no toxicity studies have been > published there is no way of knowing how much is > safe, and whether there is a possibility of > interaction with other medications. There is also > the risk that people will choose to treat themselves > with Tian Xian instead of some more effective > treatment. While I think this risk is sometimes > overstated, it happens occasionally and when it does > is tragic. There is nothing at the Tian Xian website > to warn people against relying on this > scientifically unproven remedy for a disease in > which time is usually of the essence. > > Then there is the matter of price. In general terms, > one can hardly fault an entrepreneur for wanting to > make a profit from his invention. However, the > charges for Tian Xian seem excessive and the > proposed price is clearly related to the > cure-mongering practiced at the various websites. > > Twenty-eight days' worth of so-called Super Tian > Xian Liquid sells for US $1,090. But that's not the > end of the possible charges. The site cautions that > " for all kinds of cancer, the curative effect will > be better if matched with Tian Xian Capsule (Wan) > and Tian Xian Suppository. " These capsules run $150 > (per box of 150) and the suppositories cost an > additional $80 (for a box of 12). Extravagantly, the > website claims that these are " mainly for curing of > cancer of esophagus, cancer of stomach, intestinal > cancer, cancer of lung, liver cancer, mammary > cancer, cancer of uterus, malignant lymphoma, > oophoroma [i.e.,ovarian cancer], prostatic cancer, > cancer of testis, cancer of urinary bladder, cancer > of vagina, haemorrhoid. " That's a tall order! By > talking loosely of cancer " cures " in this way, > patients' expectations are raised to unreasonable > heights. Patients and their families are then > understandably primed to fork over US $1,200 or more > per month, on the basis of only the flimsiest of > documentation of effectiveness. > > These are my main criticisms of the Tian Xian > promotion. However, I need to qualify these remarks > by stating again that at least some of these > ingredients are truly promising in the treatment of > cancer. They were hardly invented by Mr. Wang but > are part of a very ancient tradition in China, > supplemented by a considerable amount of scientific > research. Let me give a few examples: > > Cordyceps sinensis, also called the caterpillar > mushroom, is found in the highlands of China, Tibet, > and Nepal, growing above 10,000 feet. Its Chinese > name is dong chong xia cao. According to standard > sources, a dehydrated hot water extract contains 16 > percent beta glucan, 7 percent cordycepic acid and > 0.2 percent adenosine. > > If we search this topic in PubMed, we find the > following number of papers on the following topics: > > Cordyceps 211 > Cordyceps and cancer 25 > Cordyceps and cancer (limited to clinical trials) 1 > > This latter paper concerns a clinical study of 36 > Chinese patients with advanced cancer. The study > concluded that a cordyceps-containing formula " could > restore cellular immunological function, improve > quality of life, but had no significant effect on > humoral immunological function. The results > suggested that [it] could be used as adjuvant drug > in advanced cancer " (Zhou 1995). This is promising, > although a far cry from the claims of cure > advertised at the Tian Xian websites. > > Here is a similar survey of the scientific basis for > ganoderma (reishi): > > Ganoderma 301 > Ganoderma and cancer 43 > Ganoderma and cancer (limited to clinical trials) 4 > > The most interesting of these clinical papers, in my > opinion, originated at Massey University in New > Zealand. It showed that an extract of ganoderma also > had a significant effect on the immune function of > cancer patients. Desirable cytokines (hormone-like > substances), such as IL-2, IL-6 and interferon-gamma > were enhanced, whereas the " bad " or pro-inflammatory > cytokines such as IL-1 and TNF-alpha were > significantly decreased. > > Treatment also resulted in a significant increase > (approximately 8 percent) in natural killer (NK) > cell activity. The authors concluded that this > product " enhanced the immune responses in patients > with advanced-stage cancer. " (Gao 2003). > > Thus, in my opinion, there is a rational therapeutic > basis for including certain of the listed > ingredients in this product, although the product > itself is undoubtedly being over-hyped and > over-priced. > > > Make One's Own Formula > > > It would be possible to put together a formula out > of the more promising of these components without > too much difficulty, and at a much lower price. For > example, if you bought cordyceps from an ethical > supplier of mushrooms over the Internet it would > cost you around $25 for 90 capsules (400 mg per > capsule). A typical dose is 2 to 8 capsules per day, > split between morning and evening doses. At a dosage > of six of these per day the cost would be around $50 > per month, i.e., less than two dollars per day. > Reishi is similarly priced and astragalus is even > less expensive. > > This might have some benefit for cancer patients. > Short of true clinical trials—which we emphatically > do not have—it would be hard to say for sure. It is > difficult to sort out the truthful from the wildly > exaggerated when it comes to herbs and cancer. I > would love to see the US government sympathetically > investigating claims such as this. But little is > being done in that direction. > > Despite my critical overview, I suspect that there > is a kernel of truth to Tian Xian and that it has > tapped into the great (and largely unexplored) > promise of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). > However, a number of different factors have made for > a situation that is fraught with danger for > patients. These include a burgeoning entrepreneurial > spirit on the part of the Chinese and a willingness > to market unsubstantiated cures to the West; a > growing number of desperate or disillusioned cancer > patients willing to try almost anything; and an > oncology profession that feels no sense of urgency > about finding effective treatments other than those > promoted by the pharmaceutical industry. > > It is not a good situation. Add the Internet into > this volatile mix and you have the perfect medium > for the growth and proliferation of untested > treatments such as Tian Xian. > > > --Ralph W. Moss, PhD > > ======================= > > References: > > > Gao Y, Zhou S, Jiang W, Huang M, Dai X. Effects of > ganopoly (a Ganoderma lucidum polysaccharide > extract) on the immune functions in advanced-stage > cancer patients. Immunol Invest. 2003 > Aug;32(3):201-15. > > Zhou DH, Lin LZ. [Effect of Jinshuibao capsule on > the immunological function of 36 patients with > advanced cancer] Zhongguo Zhong Xi Yi Jie He Za Zhi. > 1995 Aug;15(8):476-8. Chinese. > > --------------- > IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER > > The news and other items in this newsletter are > intended for informational purposes only. Nothing in > this newsletter is intended to be a substitute for > professional medical advice. > > -------------- > > IMPORTANT NOTICE: > > Please do not REPLY to this letter. All replies to > this email address are automatically deleted by the > server and your question or concern will not be > seen. If you have questions or concerns, use our > form at > http://www.cancerdecisions.com/contact.html > Thank you. > > To SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER: Please go to > http://cancerdecisions.com/list/optin.php?form_id=8 > and follow the instructions to be automatically > added to this list. > Thank you. > > ===== Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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