The Hunza region is an isolated and inaccessible valley in the Himalayas where the borders of Pakistan, India, Kashmir, and China adjoin – it is currently controlled by the Pakistani government (1). There, resides a small society of about 40,000 people called the Hunzakut (Hun-za-ka). They're known for their impressive longevity, general happiness and being cancer-free for over 900 years (1). This is due to their diet and other practices including; yogic exercises of deep breathing and relaxation, annual fasting, and several short meditative sessions throughout the day (2).
The Hunzakut diet consists mostly of raw or slightly steamed fruits and vegetables - the most common of which are potatoes, string beans, peas, leafy greens, squash, apples, pears, peaches, apricots, cherries, and blackberries(2). They also eat lots of walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds, beechnuts, and plenty of apricot kernels(2).
Hunzakut do utilize animal proteins in the form of milk, cheeses, yogurt, and chicken, but eat very little actual meat (2). They make a bread called chapatti using barley, millet, buckwheat and wheat which is high in Vitamin E (2). Chapatti is believed to be the reason for Hunzakut males being quite prolific reproductively, with reports of them fathering children well into their 90s (1)(2).
The Hunzakut eat two meals a day, always with chapatti, as well as snacking on sometimes as many as 50 apricot kernels (2)(8). The apricot kernels are where they get loads of Vitamin B17, also called amygdalin (a-mig-da-lin). On average, the Hunzakut receive about 50-75 mg per day of amygdalin from their diet – in comparison, most Westerners are thought to ingest the same amount in maybe an entire year (2)(3)(4).
The benefits of a diet high in amygdalin are also notable in wildlife (4). Ernst T. Krebs, a chemist who studied amygdalin and later patented a semi-synthetic concentrated version called laetrile (5), said that bears and gorillas in the wild do not develop cancer (4). He stated that gorillas get about 100 to 125 milligrams of amygdalin daily by eating wild berries and fruits, which are also eaten profusely by wild bears (4).
The amygdalin molecule, which is classified as a cyanogenic glycoside, can be broken down into four compounds - two of which are glucose, and one each of hydrogen cyanide and benzaldehyde (4)(5). This chemical makeup sounds scarier than it actually is. We all know what glucose is, sugar, a.k.a. cancer food - and hydrogen cyanide and benzaldehyde are both known cytotoxins, or cell killers.
Basically, the cancer cells detect the glucose in the amygdalin molecule, draw it to them, and are then destroyed once the cell killers are released inside them (4).
Amygdalin was first isolated by Pierre-Jean Robiquet (who also discovered codeine) and Antoine Boutron-Charlard in France (5).
Amygdalin was first used in Russia as a cancer treatment (5).
Amygdalin was first used in America as a cancer treatment (5).
Ernst Krebs patented laetrile, a concentrated semi-synthetic clinical version of amygdalin (5).
Dr. Ernesto Contreras, Sr. opened a clinic called Oasis of Hope in Tijuana, Mexico and began administering laetrile as part of his cancer protocol. The clinic is still in operation today, ran by his son, Dr. Ernesto Contreras, Jr.
FDA bans interstate shipments of laetrile causing 27 states to invoke the 10th Amendment and legalize the use of laetrile within those states (5).
The U.S. Supreme Court unconstitutionally upheld the ban of interstate shipments of laetrile in United States v. Rutherford (9).
One district court has ruled that a cancer patient has a constitutional right to take laetrile (derived from apricot pits); the Supreme Court reversed on statutory grounds, never dealing with the constitutional argument.(7)
When I first began writing this piece I had no intention of making it political. However, upon further research, I realized it is profoundly political because it is yet another example of a 10th Amendment violation by disregarding the states wishes to keep laetrile accessible to it's citizens. It is also a violation the 5th Amendment, particularly the due process clause, which states no person shall be deprived of life, liberty, or property without due process. As Valarie Blake wrote in the American Medical Association's Journal of Ethics, regarding a U.S. Supreme Court case for the rights of terminally-ill patients to access and use experimental drugs in order to save their lives (10),
The three-judge panel pointed to a longstanding tradition in America of protecting a right to control one’s body, demonstrated in the right to self-defense and self-preservation (including an exception to violate some laws in order to preserve one’s life, for example to damage another’s property). And while there is no long-standing general duty to rescue or save another’s life, there is long-standing liability for interfering with an individual’s ability to save him- or herself.
The United States government does not posses the constitutional power to ban substances like laetrile, which has been shown to have a positive effect on cancer for over 150 years (3), because it is not a controlled substance. So, to get around that little hiccup, they just banned the interstate transport of it making it almost impossible for the majority of Americans to access (5)(6). It is still legal to ingest and posses, just not to transport across state lines or for a distributor to advertise its effectiveness as a cancer-remedy (6).
The FDA repeatedly used the same studies as justification for their actions against laetrile, all of which were inconceivably flawed (3); and which seems to always be the case in their quest to squash all nutritionally based non-conventional cancer treatments. It is important to note that laetrile was never meant to be a stand-alone treatment for cancer, and if used as such, will probably not be fully effective in eradication (3). But, when combined with other treatments such as the Cellect-Budwig Protocol, the Cesium Chloride Protocol, or the Gerson Therapy, it can be a powerful tool in the anti-cancer arsenal (3).
If you or a loved one has cancer, I highly suggest you intently read ALL of the following if you're interested in alternative cancer treatments. I promise, you will be glad you did.
Cancer Tutor - a step-by-step guide to almost all alternative treatments available. It is simply a treasure trove of information.
Chris Beat Cancer - a blog by an MD who cured himself of GI cancer with nutrition and nutraceuticals.
Gerson Institute - the infamous Gerson Institute, founded in 1977 by Gerson's daughter, has been curing cancer ever since. Dr. Max Gerson developed this therapy in the 1920s.
Oasis of Hope - a cancer clinic in Mexico (mentioned above) ran by Dr. Ernesto Contreras, Jr., originally founded by his father over 55 years ago.
I am not a medical doctor or medical professional. The information provided on this blog is intended for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice or treatment for specific medical conditions. You should not use this information to diagnose or treat a health problem or disease without consulting with a qualified healthcare provider. Please consult your healthcare provider with any questions or concerns you may have regarding your condition.
