Can Soap Be The Link To Curing Cancer?

Could soap hold the key to killing cancer cells? A new study says it just might be so! Here's what you need to know .... 

By Colette Bouchez

If a group of Japanese researchers are right, the same “science” behind why soap cleans our clothes just might hold the key to killing cancer cells. 

As wild as this sounds, it’s the solid premise behind a new study being released today in the journal Science Transistional Medicine.  It’s here that researchers offer proof that the same method that soap uses to trap dirt, grime and grease embedded in your gym socks and ultimately flushes it down the drain, so too can this same technology be used to target cancer cells and send them on their way. 

The concept revolves around something called “micelles” – molecules that develop from a soapy substance and work to actually surround grease and grime, trap it and pull it from our clothes.   In the new study researchers show how ordinary detergent micelles can be chemically modified to deliver a “ drug-laced arrow right to the heart of cancer cells.” 

A Japanese team of researchers led by  Mami Murakami designed micelles that were later shown to have the ability to release right on target a platinum based cancer-killing drug directly into the heart of the cells DNA – where the cancer originates.  Because they target the “heart” of the cancer cell, they believe the micelle delivery system overcomes certain types of drug that occur when medicines try to get through cell layers – and can’t.  Drug resistance is, in fact, a major obstacle in cancer treatment.

So what’s a micelle – and how does it do the “dirty work”? 

Experts say a micelle forms when certain molecules – including soaps and detergents – are mixed with water.  As they form  micells are able  literally entrap chemotherapy drug agents used to kill cancer cells, and then carry the cancer killing drugs directly to the tumor. Once there, the cancer cells literally suck up the micelles – and the next thing you know, the damaged DNA -and the cancer - is gone. 

The question of course that remains is whether or not driving the drug to the heart of the cancer cell will have any better outcome  - in terms of the drugs effectiveness. 

Certainly in the development of a treatment known as "brachytherapy" doctors proved that delivering radiation "seeds" directly to prostate cancer cells worked better than wide spread radiation that attacked the entire groin. 

And now again,  the new study shows that this targeted approach involving micelles also works for chemotherapy drugs.   Indeed, the researchers report that when encountered by the micelles, the cancer cells succumbed more easily and more quickly to the treatment than they did using other delivery systems . This they say is partly due to the activity of  micelle itself and partly because  the micelles are able to sneak past the defense proteins that normally  surround a cancer cell and frequently deactivate the treatment before it has a chance to get to the actual diseased cells. 

So, is this the magic cancer  bullet we’ve all been looking for? Probably not - at least not yet anyway.  And there is a long way to go before we know for sure if this approach works equally well on all chemotherapeutic drugs or even all cancers. Certainly it is the killing power of the drug - and not it's delivery system - that determines if a cancer treatment works.

But , that said, it is a positive step forward towards a destination that we just can’t reach soon enough. 

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Copyright by ElleMedia Network 2011 - All Rights Reserved. In addition to US Copyright, the text of this RedDressDiary article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 License. All formatting and style elements of this page are not available under this license, and Colette Bouchez retains all rights in those elements.  The owners and contributors to this blog may or may not benefit from the information, products or treatments that appear on these pages.

Study: Cosmetic Dangers Increasing

Skin care companies add preservatives to keep bacteria out of products. But a new medical review questions whether many “over preserve” products – and in the process increase serious health risks for women. Here’s what you need to know. – By Colette Bouchez

If you’ve ever developed a red itchy rash – or even a case of hives – after using a skin cream, body lotion, a shower gel or even a foundation, then you’ve already come in contact with “Contact Dermatitis” – a type of allergic skin reaction that often develops in response to chemical preservatives used to keep these products fresh on the shelf.

Now a new medical review out of Denmark claims so many manufacturers are now overloading their products with these questionable chemicals, the risk of getting a reaction grows more likely every day.

" Allergy to preservatives is one of the main reasons for contact eczema caused by cosmetics. As development and elicitation of contact allergy is dose dependent, the over preservation of cosmetics potentially leads to increased incidences of contact allergy, “ says study author Michael Dyrgaard Lundov, a researcher from the Department of Dermatology, National Allergy Research Centre, Gentofte University Hospital in Denmark. His research was just published in the journal Contact Dermatitis.

Preservatives are necessary to control the growth of bacteria in any product that contains water. Among the most harmful of those bugs are pathogenic micro-organisms such as Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Both can lead to serious, even life threatening infections, and both are frequently found in contaminated cosmetics.

But while there are some 50 approved preservatives available to help keep these and other harmful pathogens under control, the new review also found the market is dominated by a just a few: parabens, formaldehyde, formaldehyde releasers, metylchloroisothiazolinone, and methylisothiazolinone.

Overuse of these chemicals may be especially bad since studies show they are also among the most irritating chemical preservatives in use today.

“Approximately 6% of the general population has a cosmetic-related contact allergy mainly caused by preservatives and fragrances,” says Lundov.

Moreover, in the US, the patch tested prevalence of allergies to formaldehyde is as high as 9%, according to Lundovs' research paper.

Cosmetic s & Chemicals: More Problems on the Horizon?

As irritating as contact dermatitis can be experts like Vassar’s Dr. Janet Gray say they are less concerned about skin rashes and localized allergies then they are about the potential of long term health consequences linked to overdosing – including an increased risk of cancer.

Indeed, at least some of these chemical preservatives have already been identified by the World Health Organization, the CDC as others as carcinogens, while at least one study found parabens had been collected and stored in what turned out to be malignant breast tissue. And while there is no clear indication that the parabens either caused, or even exacerbated a malignancy, it's an association that has a number of researchers worried.

"The evidence may not be as definitive as some would like, but there are some strong associations suggesting women, particularly younger women, routinely exposed to some of these ingredients may increase their risk of developing breast cancer later in life," says Gray, who, together with experts from the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute compiled a report on what we know thus far about the environmental links to breast cancer.

In the US these concerns may be even more significant since manufacturers and importers are not required by law to report to the FDA which preservatives they even use in a product, let alone how much. Any reporting that does take place is strictly voluntary. Indeed, a passage straight from the FDA's own website confirms that, “[Cosmetic] Manufacturers may use any ingredient or raw material, except for color additives and a few prohibited substances, to market a product without a government review or approval."

Cosmetics & Chemicals: How To Protect Yourself

While it’s clear that some type of preservatives are necessary to give products a shelf life – and keep them affordable - Lundov and his group believe we can cut a great many of the risks by simply cutting down on the amount used in these products.

But that may be easier said than done. Determining the threshold at which bacteria does get out of hand is going to require some serious – and expensive – medical testing. And right now, it appears as if manufacturers would simply rather over-dump then pay the price of discovering how much of these chemicals are really necessary to strike a balance.

So what can you do in the meantime? Certainly, many natural products contain far less harmful preservatives - so that’s one shopping option. You can also cut down on some exposures by making some simple switches - from a shower gel or cream, to a bar of soap for example.

But in the end cancer prevention experts like Julia Smith, MD says avoiding one jar of face cream or one tube of foundation isn't going to make as much difference as how you live your life overall.

“Ultimately it’s going to be your cumulative exposure to all chemical and environmental toxins that matters most, “say Smith, director of the Lynne Cohen Breast and Ovarian Cancer Prevention Center at the NYU Cancer Center in New York City.

So, in this respect Smith says cut down on exposures when and where you can , eliminate those products that are not important to you, then use the products you really think you need without excess fear or worry.

"You do what you can, and hope it might make a positive difference in your life”, says Smith.

For more free tips on how choosing safer cosmetics, visit RedDressDiary.com - The destinatation for Fabulous Women Over 40!

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Copyright by Colette Bouchez 2009 - All Rights Reserved.
In addition to US Copyright, the text of this RedDressDiary article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 License. All formatting and style elements of this page are not available under this license, and Colette Bouchez retains all rights in those elements.