The Cancer Controversy
I sparked quite the controversy the other day on Facebook.
People came out of the woodwork to get across their point of view.
But I see it all being positive. Because these things need to be talked about. Issues that are otherwise generally accepted as truth need to be brought to the surface. Lies need to be exposed.
The issue? Cancer.
Here was my original post:
You don’t get cancer which MAKES you UNHEALTHY. You get cancer BECAUSE you are UNHEALTHY. (via Matthew McAlees) So true!
I’ll give you the reader’s digest version of the controversy that followed, then leave you with a more detailed explanation of my point of view.
The first round:
“Health does not = no cancer! That’s a myth. Health decreases your likelihood of developing certain cancers but there are thousands of healthy people who were struck by this nasty illness.”
This is what I used to believe too! So I’m certainly not casting judgments on those who still believe it. I’ve been there. Done that.
But now I know differently.
Dr. McAlees offered some research on the subject:
“What the research actually says is that 95% of cancers are lifestyle induced. I think eventually we will find out it’s 100%. Nutrition & exercise don’t equal health. They are components, but are by no means health in its entirety. People may do a few things right, but that doesn’t mean the principle isn’t true. Cancer can only exist in a body with a weak immune system. A healthy body kills cancer. Check out the research from the National Institutes of Health“
Then round two:
“If that’s true, then why do 2 year olds, who have had little chance to eat improperly, smoke, and in general be un-healthy get brain tumors, or leukemia, or something?”
Valid question indeed.
Dr. Dale Brown then posed a very important question:
“Everyone, may I ask that all of you, in your own words and with your current knowledge, define what health is?”
Most people believe they are healthy if they feel good, eat well (or at least try to eat well), and exercise (or at least exercise occasionally).
How do you define health? Let’s start a conversation below in the comments section.
There were quite a few more comments, arguments, heated debates, thoughts, musings, etc. that I won’t post here (Reader’s Digest version, remember?)
But I do want to leave you with one last comment. It may or may not qualify under the ‘Reader’s Digest’ heading, but I believe it’s worth sharing.
This sums up very nicely what I believe about cancer (and health in general!)
“EVERYONE HAS CANCER cells in their bodies. However, a properly functioning immune system (part of ‘health’) routinely takes care of them as a matter of course - thousands created & destroyed daily. Your ‘health’ determines how well that immune system will deal with them. As your health declines, your immune system cannot keep up and you ‘get cancer.’ It is disease that builds over time due to poor health, not something that you ‘catch.’ The process has been going on long before the tumor shows up.
On the topic of GENETICS, yes, different people have predetermined TENDENCIES to develop cancer. However, lifestyle has a HUGE say in whether or not those genetic tendencies are expressed - same goes for obesity, alcoholism, etc.
In regards to CHILDHOOD CANCERS, as was pointed out earlier, these result largely from exposure to toxins from mom, possibly compounded with a genetic disposition. Toxins accumulate in mom’s body and are absolutely passed on to junior in the womb. You may think that these exposures are minimal. However, if you are only made up of a handful of cells when the exposure occurs, it can cause damage to DNA which passes on every time a cell duplicates, making the effects multiply exponentially during development.
Ultimately, it does come back to mom. A toxin-free mom will not give birth to a baby with cancer. By two years of age, children have been exposed to enough toxins from vaccines, household cleaners, baby formula, radio and microwaves, and low quality food to drastically inhibit the immune system’s ability to deal with cancer cells.
The tragic price of our modern, ‘advanced’ civilization. We’ve invented lots of things that can kill us.”
Well said, my friend. Well said.
What about you? Thoughts? Comments? Differing opinions?
If you’d like more information on the subject, I will leave you with a few links for further reading and watching:
The Futility of Conventional Cancer Treatments
Gerson Institute: Healing with Nature
The Gerson Miracle documentary
Cancer’s Link to Your Diet
The Beautiful Truth documentary
Preventing & Treating Cancer from the Inside Out
This post is linked to Simple Lives Thursday
A Vegan Diet is Not Healthy
World Hunger Solved (And Other Dirty Thoughts)
Is Circumcision a Christian Thing to Do?
Oct 25, 2010 @ 08:07:08
Ok…so I did see your post on facebook the other day and lets just say I didnt like it :) But after really thinking about it this is what I have believed for several months…I think in a few years we will come to realize that cance is triggered from foods we eat. (BTW…my post will prob be long and sorry for that!!!)
Yes, we all have cancer cells in our body so why do some act out and some do not? I do believe it is the chemicals we are around and breathe in along with the chemicals we digest with the processed foods. By NO MEANS am I perfect and eat the healthiest ways…but I am aware of what I do eat and am working on changing that on a slow day by day process.
Also, I was diagnosed with a disease called AS (Anklyosing Spondylitis) in March. This is an auto-immune disease (which so is cancer but by NO MEANS am I calling what I have even CLOSE to cancer!!!). People usually diagnosed with AS has been found with a certain gene (similar to how we have cancer cells in our body). So what made mine flair up but my sisters has not and several others in my family have not?? This is what has led the doctors to believe why my AS flared up from this gene (only a hypothesis) I got sick with Bronchitis in January and was only given a zpack. Didnt think much of it and continued to work out after a few days of rest (was training for the half in December) all of the sudden I felt like I had the flu and hurt all over so after some extensive testing they discovered my disease (AS). They believe I never got 100% HEALTHY and the virus turned inward and attacked my body which in turn made that disease from that one cell flare up.
So…after this LONG POST…my point is I realized that maybe you, Lori are not all off with the healthy part. I think we automatically get mad at what you said but after thinking about it…how do we classify healthy?? My disease came on from not being healthy…not taking care of my body and running it down…whether you are right or wrong it is a good point to look at and study. My final belief is that God has us here for a reason and only HE knows what our purpose is here on this earth and how and why we leave the earth the way we do.
Oct 28, 2010 @ 11:26:46
Hey Mandy,
No worries that your post was long. Thanks for joining the conversation! I love what you said about "whether you are right or wrong it is a good point to look at and study." I've had such a paradigm shift in the last couple years about what health truly is. So just to get people thinking about it is awesome. I know I didn't give this sort of thing a second thought in the past. :)
Oct 28, 2010 @ 19:18:25
Re: Mandy
You bring up a really good point. Even people with similar genes, raised in the same environment, with the same habits can have different genetic expressions. Your genes will be slightly different from those of your sister (unless she happens to be an identical twin) which could have an affect here, but probably a bigger factor is things that have happened to your body during your lifetime.
This can range from traumas to medications you've taken even to stress levels or emotional traumas. All of these can have cumulative harmful physiological effects, which are going to be absolutely unique from person to person. There's one factor in particular that I'd look into to start with for AS.
Specifically, spinal misalignments can put pressure on nerves that control how your organs (and immune system) function. This may not be associated with any back pain (since only 7% of our nerves sense pain), but it can have a long-term effect on how well those systems work that are supplied by the nerves under pressure. Since AS is related to swelling in the joints of the spine and pelvis, I'd recommend going to a wellness chiropractor if you haven't already. They can perform adjustments which will relieve that nerve tension and allow your body to begin working properly again, so that it can return to normal.
In combination with this type of corrective care, which will ultimately deal with the cause of the problem - not the symptoms - there are a few natural things you can to help reduce the inflammation in your spine: 1. Cut out sugar, inflammation feeds on it. 2. There are certain anti-inflammatory foods to add in to your diet: omega-3 oils, ginger, and turmeric. These two should help a lot, especially with the chiropractic adjustments.
Lastly, I do believe that God has us here for a reason, but I'd challenge you that He designed us to have a very active role in achieving it. Since our bodies are His temple, we out to take care of them (which includes keeping our spines - and therefore everything else - healthy). Also, consider the fact that often people do die outside of God's timing. If this were not true, Jesus (and the disciples) would not have raised people from the dead. God has a destiny for us, but we can ultimately decide to what degree we walk into it.
Oct 28, 2010 @ 19:55:50
Here's another link with multiple article in regards to cancer: http://raypeat.com/articles/
I think we all have cancer at one point or another, perhaps multiple times and aren't aware of it because our bodies are handling it.
Oct 30, 2010 @ 21:18:24
Thanks for your post, I came across it on one of the link ups. Sometimes cancer can be easily linked to a cause of bad choices, ie, a smoker ending up with lung cancer and sometimes it isn't so evident for the average person. But I tend to agree that we as parents can pass on our bad health choices to our children. Exercise, health including spiritual and emotional health are part of the equation to a better quality of life including obedience to our Master. We can't take anything for granted. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, we are to keep our bodies holy. I was just telling my children in the last two days, our Creator has chosen each one of us to be here on this earth for a specific purpose. We need to do all that we can to accomplish our purpose. The enemy will do all that he can to cause problems, disease, divorce, etc… We need to continue in Yeshua's strength to be sure to pass on the baton to our children and on to the next generation until our Messiah's return. Blessings ~ Carmen
Jan 17, 2013 @ 14:24:52
As a VERY healthy 28-year-old who has had cancer TWICE (Leukemia at age 12 and breast cancer at age 26) I would like to weigh in. Where is the topic of genetics? I was diagnosed last year with Li Fraumeni Syndrome, a genetic mutation of the p53 gene that makes you prone to developing cancers of the blood, breast, colon and brain. My diet and lifestyle has nothing to do with my getting cancer twice. What about women with the BRCA gene that makes them prone to ovarian and breast cancer? I wholeheartedly agree that we should maintain a healthy weight and diet, and exercise to lessen our changes of getting cancer. But there does come a certain point where genetics take over. I am 108 pounds, eat 5-6 servings of fruits and vegetables daily, and run about 10 miles a week, and do yoga. My diet consists of non-fat dairy and whole grains. I eat meat about once a month and get my protein from Greek yogurt. I eat a balanced diet of nuts, avocado and other Omega-3s. I am really, really healthy. But I’ve also had cancer twice, and because I have LFS I might get it again. Thanks for letting me post!