Welcome to another edition of the Doctor’s Note where we talk about what’s on our minds when it comes to your health.
You have heard me say that the main two reasons people come to Performance Medicine are (a) they’re tired, or (b) they’re in pain. Still true, but beneath the tiredness and pain is also a fear that something bad might be going on in their body. A recent Medicare Advantage article stated that the top five health conditions people are most afraid of are (in order): CANCER, Alzheimer’s disease, heart attack/heart disease, strokes and COVID-19.¹ The American Cancer Society projects there will be 1,958,310 new cancer cases and 609,820 cancer deaths in the United States in 2023.²
In today’s Note, I want to soften the fear of Cancer with some HOPE being found in two alternative cancer drugs: Fenbendazole (FENBEN) and Artemisinin. I know in the medical world this is somewhat controversial, therefore I will begin with a disclosure: This is NOT medical advice. This is medical information. For medical advice you need to come into my office or see your own doctor.
Now let’s get started…
What is Fenbendazole?
Fenbendazole is a close relative of Mebendazole, which we use to treat pinworms in kids. The problem with Mebendazole (the human form of it) is that it’s very expensive. The more cost effective alternative in these cases is Fenbendazole, which you may know as a dog dewormer. Yes, it is a dog dewormer, but you can get it over-the-counter (OTC) and it’s very inexpensive. There are a lot of people who use it, and have great results.
Fenbendazole has been around since 1974 and is used worldwide. In addition to killing parasites, it has been found to be effective as an anti-cancer agent. Note: I have seen it used in patients with great results, with virtually no side effects. Remember, there’s no medicine in the world that doesn’t have a possible side effect.
Fenbendazole has shown to be effective in causing regression of various tumor types. It can also be used in combination with other traditional approaches like chemotherapy and radiation without interference. So, here we’re talking about a repurposed drug as a complimentary anti-cancer medication. Note: During the pandemic we’ve talked a lot about repurposed drugs, medicines that work for an indication different from the initial indication.
Fenbendazole works in a similar fashion to a lot of chemotherapeutic drugs, but without the side effects or toxicity. However, like with most of the repurposed drugs, there’s not a lot of experiments done on humans, and no Big Pharma company is going to carry out double blind, placebo controlled, trials on this.
One of the dosage forms available for Fenbendazole is Capsule. You can order it online or get it over the counter. It has limited absorption in the gut, so you have to take it with food. Some people just take the capsule and sprinkle it over their food and eat it. The bioavailability is definitely increased by eating food with it. Under 5% of people will get a little stomach discomfort, if taking a higher dose. Note: People with severe liver or kidney problems have lower excretion rates on any type of drug, so you have to watch their liver function test. If there is any change, then you simply stop taking the meditation and it reverses within a couple of weeks.
Who is Joe Tippens?
If you have been diagnosed with cancer, or have a close relative or friend with cancer, you have probably heard of the Joe Tippens Cancer Protocol. Joe Tippens is best known for treating his lung cancer with Fenbendazole, CBD Oil, Curcumin and Vitamin E. His story really got the ball rolling with Fenbendazole. In 2017, after being told he had only 3 months to live, Joe heard the story of the scientist who treated her cancer with a canine drug and decided to try it for himself (adding a few more ingredients to his regimen). It worked, and he has been cancer free ever since.
The original Joe Tippens Cancer Protocol was to take Fenbendazole three days ON, four days OFF. Note: You can use Fenbendazole indefinitely without developing a tolerance to it. The protocol suggests you take some other things with it to increase effectiveness, such as Milk Thistle, Curcumin, and CBD drops.
How Does Fenbendazole Work?
Fenbendazole gets rid of parasites by selectively blocking the synthesis of microtubules. Microtubules are part of the structure of a cell that allows passage of things to get into the cell to do their work. This includes chromosomes and cancer cells. Cancer is a disease of mitosis. Mitosis is replication, and as you know cancer cells just keep dividing rapidly. What Fenbendazole does is block these tubules selectively, stopping mitosis, or cell division. Note: This is similar to the way taxol and vincristine work, which are chemotherapeutic drugs.
Today it is thought that there are 3 main mechanisms in which Fenbendazole kills cancer:
- Induction of Apoptosis (programmed cell death). This works by cell cycle arrest through the inhibition of microtubules.
- Inhibition of Glucose uptake in cancer cells. Malignant cells are known to have an enormous glucose uptake. That’s why I tell everybody that has cancer to immediately (a) get on a ketogenic diet, and (b) take High Dose Vitamin C. Note: Cancer cells consume glucose 200 times faster than ordinary cells. If you study cancer you know of the Warburg Effect. This is the aerobic glycolysis effect and it can be seen on PET scans. It’s pretty obvious. Fenbendazole limits cancer cell fueling with sugar by limiting this glucose uptake, decreasing the amount of what are called “glute transporters” (canals that take the glucose into cancer cells from the blood). An enzyme called hexokinase 2 is inhibited as well. This is very important. It helps those tumors to not divide rapidly and prevent sugar from getting in there.
- Reactivation of the P53 gene. This gene is the strongest tumor suppressor in our bodies. We don’t have a lot of it, but fenbendazole really activates this P53 gene that helps decrease spread of cancer. Note: Cancer cells do not develop resistance to Fenbendazole like they can with chemotherapeutic drugs. That means that it can be taken for long periods of time and still remain effective.
Note: One of the main mechanisms of chemo-resistance in cancer cells is the adaptation of excreting the anti-cancer drugs to the outside via special drug efflux pumps called P-Glycoproteins. I know I’m getting deep in the weeds here, so bear with me. Fenbendazole is not a target of these P-Glycoproteins, so it cannot be excreted out of the cancer cells. It’s going to stay there and fight the cancer cells.
Fenbendazole Protocols
There are several Fenbendazole protocols. The website www.fenbendazole.com has a tab (Fenbendazole dosage) that details each.
ACTIVE CANCER TREATMENT – For active cancer, take one capsule of fenbendazole (444 mg) daily. Some people recommend you take one day off a week. Note:I think I would just take Sundays off. Again, you’re not supposed to develop a tolerance to this, but taking a little break is probably a good idea. To improve the protocol , take CBD oil (25mg) 1-2 drops every night before sleep. To strengthen the protocol take Curcumin (600mg) twice a day with food. To support the liver, take Milk Thistle (250mg) twice a day with food. Note: Fenbendazole should be taken with or after a meal to improve absorption.
COMPLEMENTARY CANCER TREATMENT – Take one capsule of fenbendazole (222mg) every day, once a day after a fatty meal; Curcumin (600mg) one capsule, two times a day after breakfast and lunch; CBD oil (25mg) 1-2 drops under the tongue every day before sleep.
CANCER RELAPSE PREVENTION – Taking fenbendazole for active cancer and cancer relapse prevention, take one capsule (222 mg) three times a week, once a day after a fatty meal.In addition, take Curcumin (600mg) one capsule/two times a day after breakfast and lunch, Milk Thistle, and CBD Oil (25mg) 1-2 drops under the tongue everyday before going to sleep. Note: Have your doctor follow and check liver and kidney function tests. It’s easy, cheap, and you can get this at any doctor’s office.
CANCER PREVENTION (prophylactic) – Those that have had genetic tests and know they’re really prone to getting cancer can take Fenbendazole prophylactically. Take one capsule (222 mg) 3 times a week, once a day after a fatty meal. Then no Fenbendazole for four days. Repeat for 10 weeks and then take 10 weeks off; Curcumin (600 mg) one capsule two times a day after breakfast and lunch; CBD oil (25mg) 1-2 drops under the tongue every day before sleep. Continue that regimen indefinitely.
Things to keep in mind when taking Fenbendazole:
- It may take 1-4 months for the therapy to begin showing results.
- The treatment can be combined with the majority of chemotherapeutic drugs, radiation, or surgery.
- You need to follow the regimen even if the cancer has significantly regressed, because tumors tend to recur quickly if they are not treated, especially the more malignant and tougher ones. There’s no reason to discontinue treatment. Note: If your type of cancer has a tumor marker, you can follow these tumor markers. You can also follow your scans to see if your tumors are regressing.
- It should be taken with food.
- Side effects are very uncommon, but if you take excessive amounts you could have a little diarrhea.
- You don’t need to take pauses unless your liver enzymes go up. If they do, you take a 2 week break from it.
- It’s thought that Fenbendazole could also sensitize cancer tumors to radiation therapy, making it more effective.
Joe Tippen has several different protocols. He’s not a doctor, but a lot of smart people aren’t doctors. There are a lot of Joe Tippens’ success stories on YouTube, so you can do your own research. I’m not actively telling anyone to take Fenbendazole if you have cancer, but I do want to give you the information, if you are interested. Obviously, follow your doctor and oncologist’s directions. This is just an additional treatment option you may want to consider for cancer.
Artemisinin For Cancer?
There is another anti-cancer agent called Artemisinin that I want to briefly mention. Artemisinin, known as Sweet Wormwood, has been used in Chinese medicine for centuries. It fights malaria, fevers, and inflammation. It’s cheap, non-toxic, well tolerated with little side effects. Plus, you don’t develop resistance to it.
Artemisinin works a little differently than Fenbendazole. Cancer cells rely on iron to spread. When iron and artemisinin enter a cancer cell together, they form atoms called free radicals that kill cancer cells without harming the normal cells.
There is a great Facebook group page (Curt Michael Graydon – Artemisinin, Fenbendazole, Cancer/Health Protocols) that has a Step By Step protocol for Artemisinin. As a general principle, it’s about 400-800 milligrams a day. You can take this for at least 6-12 months with minimal adverse effects.
Final Thoughts
When it comes to cancer, you want to do everything you can to GET RID OF IT! Obviously, I’m all for traditional treatments, i.e., surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, etc., but I’m also not against adding alternative treatments, such as Fenbendazole and Artemisinin. I’ve seen Fenbendazole and Artemisinin (in combination with the traditional treatments) work miracles in some of my patients. I’ve read about it, and researched it.
Unless you have a straightforward cancer that can be easily cured by surgery, a combination approach is something I would definitely consider, especially if you have been given a poor prognosis. In my opinion, at this point you should pull out all the stops.
If you are considering Fenbendazole and/or Artemisinin for you or a loved one, there are step by step protocols for both online. For Fenbendazole protocols go to www.fenbendazole.com. For Artemisinin go to the Facebook group page: Curt Michael Graydon – Artemisinin, Fenbendazole, Cancer/Health Protocols. Note: I did test it out and ordered both FENBEN and Liposomal Artemisinin from www.thehappyhealingstore.com. It was super easy to get and arrived at the house in just a few days.
Remember, this is your body. I don’t see any harm in trying these alternatives, in addition to the other treatments, or if you refuse the traditional treatments and want to try just the alternative. Click on the link below to hear one of my patients give a great testimonial.
Outside The Box w/ Dan Bolton, Ph.D
Till next week.
Articles mentioned in this Note:
¹MedicareAdvantage, 5 May 2021, What Medical Condition Are You Most Afraid Of?, www.medicareadvantage.com
² Rebecca L. Siegel MPH< Kimberly D. Miller MPH, Nikita Sandeep Wagle MBBS, MHA, PhD, Ahmedin Jemal DVM, PhD. CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, 12 January 2023, Cancer Statistics, 2023, https://doi.org/10.3322/caac.21763