Tell Me In a Nutshell...


What is it?
Maitake is a medicinal mushroom, which until the 1980's, was only available in limited quantities in the wild.  It is now cultivated and widely available.  In the 1980's, researchers discovered several fractions of the Maitake mushrooms for different medical purposes.  The "D-Fraction" version is made from the fruiting body of the Maitake mushroom and is believed to have immune boosting capabilities.

These immune boosting capabilities of the D-Fraction component, have shown in studies In Vitro and In Vivo to help with cancer treatment.  Well known studies have been spread all over the internet on this including the dramatic tumor regressions and disappearances in many cancers.   Unfortunatley Ovarian Cancer has not been studied with Maitake D-Fraction, however 'similar' cancers such as Breast and Prostate have been with much success and interest.  We can only estrapalate that the same effects can happen for Ovarian Cancer cell lines.

Why is it being recommened?
Infection is one of the major hurdles of chemotherapy that often leaves patients waiting for thier White Blood Cell counts to rise before chemotherapy can start again.  Maitake D-Fraction works on the immune system to help boost certain types of WBCs called "Macrophages" that engulf foriegn invaders and bad cells (such as Cancer and infections).  In addition, research has shown Maitake D-Fraction to actually help with certain Vancomiacin resistant infections.

Beyond the infection fighting component, many are interested in it's cancer treatment side.  Research is ongoing in the FDA Phase II trial in breast and prostate cancer.  In established studies in Japan and China, anti-cancer activity has been shown.  It is believed this is due to the unique way Maitake D-Fraction activates Macrophages, NK-Killer Cells and others to help the body fight these uncontrolled cells. 

Finally, Maitake D-Fraction is the only medicinal mushroom extract that can effectivelly be taken orally.  Shittake and others are only effective against cancer when taken intravenousely which is (unfortunatley) not approved in America, but approved in Japan.

Who should not take it?
Maitake and Maitake D-Fraction have an excellent safety profile.  Only those with established allergies to mushrooms or overactive immune systems should consult a physician first. 

The well known Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center allows Maitake D-Fraction to be used with their chemotherapy and radiation therapies.  It is also allowed by the Cancer Treatment Centers of America.

In addition if you are unable to take anything by mouth (NPO), or your gut is not working, you are unlikely to benefit from Maitake D-Fraction or any supplements on this list.  This is because your digestive system must make use of this and other supplements to get them into the bloodstream or activate the necessary cells.

If you have allergies to either of these foods/supplements, do not take.

How Much Do I Take?
Therapudic dosage is based on weight.  According to Maitake Industries, Inc. the following is recommended:

Those undergoing cancer treatment should take 1.0mg per kilo of body weight per day.  To determine what your body weight is in kilos, multiply your weight inpounds time 0.45.  Example:  150 lbs = 68 kilos (150 x 0.45).  Therapeutic total daily amount would be 68mg pure D-Fraction, which is approximately equivalent to 68 drops of Grifron-Pro Maitake D-Fraction.  Therefore take 22 drops three times daily between meals.  One 1 fluid oz. bottle contains approximately 820 drops.

What is it?
Coenzyme Q10 (also commonly known as CoQ₁₀ and Vitamin Q10) which was discovered by Dr. Frederick Crane, a plant physiologist at the University of Wisconsin Enzyme Institute, in 1957 .  This coenzyme is found all over your body but in greater concentrations in the heart, liver and lungs.  It is an important antioxidant in both mitochondria and lipid membranes, where it protects our cells in their battle against the destructive effects of free radicals.

It was not until a widely talked about study by Knud Lockwood, M.D., a cancer specialist in Copenhagen, Denmark, talked about how CoQ10 supplementation (along with some other supplements) had a remarkable effect on his breast cancer patients.  All of his patients in this study had a 100% survival rate along with those, who at higher concentrations, had complete tumor disappearance.  This in light that he expected 4 of these patients not to live and after 24 months 6 should not have lived.

The coenzyme has even shown to be benificial when used with certain chemotherapy agents; although studies on other chemotherapy agents have not been done there may be similar benefits and activity.

Why is it being recommened?
Based on the results from the Denmark study, there is a good chance that the same effect may be seen in Ovarian Cancer patients.  If this is the case, it would be a signifcant supplement to take in light of it's 100% survival rate in this study and the tumor disappearance.  In addition many Ovarian Cancer patients are given Doxil which has Doxorubicin which damages the heart.  CoQ10 has been shown in studies to help negate the damage caused by Doxorubicin.

Who should not take it?
CoQ10 has an excellent safety profile.  I could find no safety issues in any of the studies or in other research.  Some studies and research have shown the daily allowable limit to be quite high and way above the recommended 390mg.

If you have allergies to CoQ10, do not take.

How Much Do I Take?
The Denmark study had the patients take 90mg of CoQ10 daily in addition to the Stockholm Protocol.  All patients had improved quality of life and 100% surivial with the 90mg.  Two patients increased their dosage to 300 and 390mg respectfully.  Both of these patients had their tumors disappear.

It has been recommended to start off with either 90 or 100mg daily and increase to the 390mg dosage.  You can split the 390mg dosage into twice a day (for example two 200mg capsules).


Where can I get it?
Many suppliers make CoQ10 and can be found most anywhere.  LifeExtension makes some very absorbable CoQ10 (based on research) that I cannot find elsewhere.  For example their '50mg' CoQ10 transmates into 100mg based on it's bioabsorbability.

The CoQ10 in research have not used the LifeExtension versions, instead they were regular CoQ10.

What is it?
I3C is a component of Cruciferous Vegetables (like Broccoli) which gets converted to DIM in the gut and Genistien is a component of soy, especially high in fermented soy.  Both have shown an effect on ovarian cancer cell lines by halting their growth.  Genistien is the first of the two to be made into an analog for treating Ovarian Cancer called "Phenoxodiol" in Phase III FDA trials.  DIM (which is made from I3C in the gut) is also being investigated in the lab as an analog for treating cancer as well, yet is not in any human trials.

Both were always theroized to be useful together in stopping Ovarian Cancer, yet it was not until the UCLA study, published in 2007, that showed their dramatic impact.  Because both of these work together better than apart, I've included them as 'one' of the five supplements.  You can, of course, simply go with one of these.

Why is it being recommened?
Research by the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) has proven what has been theorized about for some time:  DIM (a component of Cruciferous Vegetables) and Genistien work together to halt ovarian cancer cells in their tracks.

By itself, both work on Ovarian Cancer cell lines.  However it was not until this study that the combination has been proven to be effective.  Genistien, the soy Isoflavone, has shown to be a chemosensitizer to ovarian cancer cells (that are resistant to platinum chemotherapy) among it's many other traits.  It was truned into an analog to form the chemothearpy drug Phenoxodiol now in Phase III FDA studies for Ovarian Cancer.

Although there are no human studies to show how they will work in vivo, the fact that one (Genistien) was made into a chemotherapy drug and the other (DIM/I3C) is being investigated for the same, bring these two compounds into our

Who should not take it?
Both are naturally occuring, food based supplements, so there is little reason not to take them.  There has been some debate over soy and cancer treatments.  The issue has always been with unfermented soy instead of 'fermented' soy which has a higher Genistien content.  Both DIM and Genistien are a form of phytoestrogens or 'plant' estrogens.  This means they bind to the estrogen receptors of cells.  Because they are a weaker form of estrogen (when compared to human estorgen) they block human estrogen from stimulating estrogen receptor positive cancer cells. 

Beyond that, the proven benefits of these two compounds show that they are effective with Ovarian Cancer and outweigh any theorized issues with them.

If you have allergies to either of these foods/supplements, do not take.

How Much Do I Take?
There are no established guidelines on how much to take, simply because there are no clinical trials in this area.  For Genistien, the only study showed that a 30.5mg content of Genistien was effective in stabalizing the disease. 

The UCLA study suggested that the comparable human dosage (which they are not suggesting or implying) would involve large amounts of supplements.  We are unclear on how much that would be or if it would even be necessary or desirable.  It is better to stick with standard dosages from manufacturers or those set by your physician.

Where can I get it?
Many suppliers make Cruciferous Vegetable/DIM/I3C and Soy Isoflavone/Genistien supplements.  To determine which one is better than the other can be hard.  Sticking with name brands is sometimes the only way to be safe about the content and quality of the product.