Volume limitations suck

Back from Tollwood where we played a cool gig and had a good time with the guys of Helloween. Unfortunately there was a volume limitation for that concert, so no band was allowed to play any louder than 95 db, which is not really loud for a metal show, but well, we had fun anyway. Next on the list is Norway, I have great memories about our last show there so we are looking forward to coming back, see you guys soon.

Scientists cure cancer, but no one takes notice...

 Scientists cure cancer, but no one takes notice

*Canadian researchers find a simple cure for cancer, but major pharmaceutical companies are not interested.*

Researchers at the University of Alberta, in Edmonton, Canada have cured cancer last week, yet there is a little ripple in the news or in TV. It is a simple technique using very basic drug. The method employs dichloroacetate , which is currently used to treat metabolic disorders. So, there is no concern of side effects or about their long term effects.

This drug doesn’t require a patent, so anyone can employ it widely and cheaply compared to the costly cancer drugs produced by major pharmaceutical companies.

Canadian scientists tested this dichloroacetate (DCA) on human’s cells; it killed lung, breast and brain cancer cells and left the healthy cells alone. It was tested on Rats inflicted with severe tumors; their cells shrank when they were fed with water supplemented with DCA. The drug is widely available and the technique is easy to use, why the major drug companies are not involved? Or the Media interested in this find?

In human bodies there is a natural cancer fighting human cell, the mitochondria , but they need to be triggered to be effective. Scientists used to think that these mitochondria cells were damaged and thus ineffective against cancer. So they used to focus on glycolysis , which is less effective in curing cancer and more wasteful. The drug manufacturers focused on this glycolysis method to fight cancer. This DCA on the other hand doesn’t rely on glycolysis instead on mitochondria; it triggers the mitochondria which in turn fights the cancer cells.

The side effect of this is it also reactivates a process called apoptosis. You see, mitochondria contain an all-too-important self-destruct button that can't be pressed in cancer cells. Without it, tumors grow larger as cells refuse to be extinguished. Fully functioning mitochondria, thanks to DCA, can once again die.

With glycolysis turned off, the body produces less lactic acid, so the bad tissue around cancer cells doesn't break down and seed new tumors.

Pharmaceutical companies are not investing in this research because DCA method cannot be patented, without a patent they can’t make money, like they are doing now with their AIDS Patent . Since the pharmaceutical companies won’t develop this, the article says other independent laboratories should start producing this drug and do more research to confirm all the above findings and produce drugs. All the groundwork can be done in collaboration with the Universities, who will be glad to assist in such research and can develop an effective drug for curing cancer.

You can access the original research for this cancer here .

This article wants to raise awareness for this study, hope some independent companies and small startup will pick up this idea and produce these drugs, because the big companies won’t touch it for a long time.

Alternate version of the Bard's Song

I guess you guys will know the Bard's Song, but do you already know this version? I love it :-)

Before the storm

Backstage in Athens, everybody is still relaxing and slowly getting ready for the show. Yesterday rocked big time so we are looking forward to tonights gig, same place, different setlist, lets see how things will be...

Touring continues

Musikmesse was a lot of fun, unfortunately I didn't get to meet everybody I wanted to meet, but that's ok I guess, I'll try again next year ;-) Thanks to everybody who came to the autograph sessions at Gibson & Meinl, I had a lot of fun there, specially when somebody came with this self made autograph card... I didn't know I am the new guitarsit of In Flames, even Peter (In Flames bassist) didn't know about it :-) Should I learn some of their songs now? ;-) Where is my iPod...
Extra special thanks to everybody at Gibson, Meinl, Mesa Engeneering and D'Addario, you guys rule!

After carrying furniture for some days now (I just moved) I am just enjyoing a couple of days of extreme resting and lazyness, but in only a couple of days we will be back on the road again. I am looking forward to those upcoming gigs, the break after the cruise was great, but now it is time to rock again and we thought about some new additions for the setlist... I am sure we will have a lot of fun again, so see you guys soon.