Vitamin A —found in sweet potatoes and carrots—can reverse pre-cancerous cells such as DCIS (ductal carcinoma in situ), one of the most common early warning signals of breast cancer. Retinoic acid, a form of the vitamin, makes pre-cancer cells in the breast healthy again, although it cannot reverse full-blown cancer, say researchers from Thomas Jefferson University. They tested the vitamin on four different lines of cancer cells, at various stages of the cancer’s life, from pre-cancerous—which is the stage when DCIS is diagnosed—through to aggressive and spreading (metastatic). The retinoic acid, which is one of the chemicals that the body converts vitamin A into, turned pre-cancerous cells healthy in terms of their shape and genetic signature. The cancerous cells, however, didn’t respond to the vitamin. (Source: International Journal of Oncology, 2014; doi: 10.3892/ijo.2014.2354)
Oriental Medicine not only identifies and treats illness and prevents disease but, just as importantly, optimizes health, wellbeing, and sustainability in our lives and in our world.