Synergy. It’s a word we hear a lot, especially in the world of natural health. But what does it really mean? And more importantly, how can it benefit your health?
In medicine, synergy is when a combination of two or more things — such as drugs, natural compounds, therapies, and treatments — produces significantly greater results compared to using each one alone. In other words, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Or, more simply put, one plus one equals more than two when you have synergistic activity. It could even equal 100 or more. The synergistic potential is unlimited.
This is the true alchemy of medicine, and medical researchers continue to discover powerful synergistic combinations that offer advanced benefits. Traditional herbal systems around the world are well-versed in this concept and rely on the wisdom of strategic ingredient combinations to create powerful formulas. Synergistic treatment combinations are also key to successful integrative medicine—the integration of diverse medical systems and approaches to achieve optimal results.
One easy way to obtain the benefits of synergistic combinations is by eating a diverse array of unprocessed plant-based foods. Certain combinations of foods and botanicals are shown to work better together, for greater health and protection against disease. One example is adding lemon to green tea: The lemon enhances the body’s ability to absorb more antioxidants from the tea. Another example is including citrus and healthy fats with a salad, which allows you to absorb more nutrients from the greens. Similarly, eating broccoli with tomatoes is shown to enhance the disease-fighting effects of both vegetables.
Supplement Synergy
Certain natural ingredients demonstrate greater synergistic abilities than others. One of these ingredients is the researched form of Modified Citrus Pectin (MCP).
Independent studies using this MCP in combination with other drugs, treatments, herbal formulas, and more, show its remarkable ability to significantly increase the benefits of these therapies—with profound implications in the treatment of life-threatening diseases. If we can find a way to make life-saving treatments more effective, at lower doses (meaning fewer side effects), it can be a game-changer, especially for patients with limited options.
Modified Citrus Pectin can do this while providing a plethora of benefits on its own—making it one of the most essential supplements for anyone seeking greater health and vitality.
Enhancing Chemotherapy, Reducing Side Effects
Since MCP has powerful synergistic enhancement abilities with both conventional and natural treatments, it’s a fundamental cornerstone in my recommendations for overcoming cancer and chronic diseases and regaining optimal vitality.
Modified Citrus Pectin enhances chemotherapy, even against resistant cancers, and protects against damage from radiation treatment. Data shows the ability of MCP to increase the effectiveness of these treatments, allowing for lower dosages with greater benefits.
For example, one cell study showed that MCP works synergistically with the highly toxic chemotherapy drug doxorubicin against aggressive prostate cancer cells.1
Another cell study showed that MCP synergistically enhanced the effects of the chemotherapy drug paclitaxel against aggressive ovarian cancer cells. A subsequent cell study in 2019 showed similar results.2,3
Improving Radiation Treatment with Supplements
Enhancing the effectiveness of chemo drugs is not the only synergistic benefit of MCP in cancer. One important cell study showed that MCP made prostate cancer cells more sensitive to radiation treatment. These results demonstrate the ability of MCP to enhance the cancer-killing actions of radiation treatment, help overcome cancer radiation treatment resistance, and significantly reduce the radiation dose necessary to achieve results—leading to fewer side effects.4
Boosting the Benefits of Other Herbs And Supplements
In addition to MCP’s ability to synergize with and enhance conventional cancer treatments, it’s also shown to produce synergistic results when used with botanical formulas and natural compounds.
For example, MCP is shown in research to enhance the cancer-fighting actions of two researched botanical formulas — one for breast cancer and one for prostate cancer. These two formulas for breast and prostate cancer have both been shown in multiple studies to reduce tumor growth and prevent metastasis. But when combined with MCP, these two formulas showed even greater anti-cancer and anti-metastatic effects, with up to 40% increase in results.5
Another natural compound, honokiol purified from Magnolia officinalis bark, is highly regarded for its anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant effects. One study showed that when MCP and honokiol are used together, the combination results in a synergistic increase in anti- antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits.6
Reducing Antibiotic Resistance with Supplements
Modified Citrus Pectin’s benefits extend far beyond cancer, as new research continues to expand the number of conditions where MCP can make a life-changing difference. For example, MCP is an important addition to immune protocols in the fight against infections because of its ability to balance immune response while exposing pathogens to the immune system.
One cell study showed that the combination of MCP with the antibiotic drug, cefotaxime, produced greater efficacy against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strains. These preliminary results suggest that MCP can be a life-saving therapy against emerging strains of drug-resistant bacteria.7
The Secret to Modified Citrus Pectin’s Success
What makes MCP so effective as a synergistic enhancer, while also standing on its own as a potent therapeutic agent for our most critical conditions? The answer can be found in its ability to block a naturally occurring protein in the body called Galectin-3 (Gal-3). Thousands of studies show that out-of-control Gal-3 drives nearly every inflammatory, degenerative disease process — from cancer and infections to heart disease, obesity, neurological disease, and much more.
With the unique ability to block Gal-3 and halt its disease-driving processes, this MCP is shown to stop and even reverse the progression of numerous life-threatening diseases. And when MCP is combined with additional treatments and therapies, data shows these results can be significantly increased—making this remarkable natural ingredient one of the most essential strategies for treatment, prevention, and optimal long-term health.
Sources:
1. Combination effect of PectaSol and Doxorubicin on viability, cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in DU-145 and LNCaP prostate cancer cell lines. Tehranian N, Sepehri H, Mehdipour P, Biramijamal F, Hossein-Nezhad A, Sarrafnejad A, Hajizadeh E. Cell Biol Int. 2012 Jul;36(7):601-10.
2.Synergistic effects of PectaSol-C modified citrus pectin an inhibitor of Galectin-3 and paclitaxel on apoptosis of human SKOV-3 ovarian cancer cells. Hossein G, Keshavarz M, Ahmadi S, Naderi N. Asian Pac J Cancer Prev. 2013;14(12):7561-8.
5. Jiang J, Eliaz I, Sliva D. Synergistic and additive effects of modified citrus pectin with two polybotanical compounds, in the suppression of invasive behavior of human breast and prostate cancer cells. Integr Cancer Ther. 2013;12(2):145-152.
7. Additive Effect of MCP in Combination with Cefotaxime Against Staphylococcus aureus. Dahdouh E, El-Khatib S, Baydoun E, Abdel-Massih RM. Med Chem. 2017;13(7):682-688.
