Researchers looked at medical data from 68 countries on 32 different types of cancer and the conclusions are shocking. Before I tell you the shocking news understand that this is not new information. This most recent study supports a previous study in 2015 that was also not well received due to the shocking nature of its results. The shocking news is that about 66% of all cancers are just bad luck, 29% are attributable to environment, and only 5% are inherited from your parents. In other words, you have no ability to reduce your risk of cancer in 71% of all cases. Now it varies depending upon the type of cancer, but still, that’s really kind of scary. Let me break this down.
How about a quick embryology lesson. We all start as a single cell, right. Then that cell begins to wildly duplicate until we are a tiny ball of identical cells. And then one of those cells changes, differentiates is the word, and becomes a nerve cell, and then a heart cell, skin, bone, etc. until we are us. It’s kind of important that each adult cell type stays as that type. But sometimes, a normal adult cell type will change backward and become abnormal, become more like its former undifferentiated self, and then start replicating uncontrollably. Cancer. There are different types of cancer and they come from different cell types and they behave differently. But what they all have in common is they replicate uncontrollably and take over the immediate area. If they metastasize, meaning they spread through the blood or lymph to other parts of the body, they can lodge somewhere else and take over that area too. Sucks.
Turns out there are 3 general categories of cancer. The first is the kind that we inherit. Bad genes that are passed down. Not much we can do about that. For example, there are genes for colon cancer that are 100% certain to develop into cancer. Only thing this person can do is to have his entire large intestine removed. The second type of cancer is just bad luck. When cells duplicate (called mitosis) sometimes the duplication process just goes wrong, a mutation happens in the wrong spot, and voila, cancer. Finally, the third kind is the kind that we can do something about preventing. These are environmentally caused mutations. We can reduce the incidence of mutation by not smoking, drinking clean water, breathing clean air, that type of thing. And we can reduce the incidence by increasing our ability to prevent and repair mutations by taking anti-oxidants like fish oils, vitamin d, vitamin e, etc., and by eating a better diet.
So there’s no twist at the end of this story. No chiropractic overlay. Overall, you only have influence over 29% of cancers by changing your behavior. 71% of cancer cases are out of our control. Seems bleak but that’s our world. It is riddled with disease and evil. So what’s the good news? In my opinion, the good news is that we have each other! We are all in the same boat together. We have each other for research and for treatment and aid and guidance and comfort and support and hugs, holding hands, lending an ear, handing a tissue. We have love. And for that we can truly thank God.
How about a quick embryology lesson. We all start as a single cell, right. Then that cell begins to wildly duplicate until we are a tiny ball of identical cells. And then one of those cells changes, differentiates is the word, and becomes a nerve cell, and then a heart cell, skin, bone, etc. until we are us. It’s kind of important that each adult cell type stays as that type. But sometimes, a normal adult cell type will change backward and become abnormal, become more like its former undifferentiated self, and then start replicating uncontrollably. Cancer. There are different types of cancer and they come from different cell types and they behave differently. But what they all have in common is they replicate uncontrollably and take over the immediate area. If they metastasize, meaning they spread through the blood or lymph to other parts of the body, they can lodge somewhere else and take over that area too. Sucks.
Turns out there are 3 general categories of cancer. The first is the kind that we inherit. Bad genes that are passed down. Not much we can do about that. For example, there are genes for colon cancer that are 100% certain to develop into cancer. Only thing this person can do is to have his entire large intestine removed. The second type of cancer is just bad luck. When cells duplicate (called mitosis) sometimes the duplication process just goes wrong, a mutation happens in the wrong spot, and voila, cancer. Finally, the third kind is the kind that we can do something about preventing. These are environmentally caused mutations. We can reduce the incidence of mutation by not smoking, drinking clean water, breathing clean air, that type of thing. And we can reduce the incidence by increasing our ability to prevent and repair mutations by taking anti-oxidants like fish oils, vitamin d, vitamin e, etc., and by eating a better diet.
So there’s no twist at the end of this story. No chiropractic overlay. Overall, you only have influence over 29% of cancers by changing your behavior. 71% of cancer cases are out of our control. Seems bleak but that’s our world. It is riddled with disease and evil. So what’s the good news? In my opinion, the good news is that we have each other! We are all in the same boat together. We have each other for research and for treatment and aid and guidance and comfort and support and hugs, holding hands, lending an ear, handing a tissue. We have love. And for that we can truly thank God.