The last week in September is national cancer awareness week. This a good time to take stock of the cancer risk factors and stress in our lives. Did you know? One person in three is now at risk of developing cancer. It’s more important now more than ever to pay attention to the predisposing factors involved.
Cancer is a virus and manifests through changes in our DNA. It can be brought on by environmental toxins, diet, lifestyle changes, smoking or radiation exposure. Also, some cancers seem to occur as a result of chance.
How does it happen?
When the immune is overwhelmed sometimes by an inappropriate diet or emotional turmoil such as long-standing depression, it creates biological changes in the body. The adrenals and other organs are stressed and either don’t function as effectively as they should or go into overdrive. Sometimes, this results in an overabundance of stress hormones in the body.
Actually, once cancer starts to manifest in the body, there are no new biological mechanisms in play. Either the body’s systems are running too fast, too slow or they’re out of synch with one another. The importance of a holistic diet, rest, and relaxation are important to tune down the nervous system and allow proper homeostasis to return to the body.
One of the insidious factors about cancer is that once it takes over the cell, it starts to manufacturer some of its own DNA different from the patient. It also has the ability to fool the body’s immune system into thinking it’s a good guy so the immune system’s T-cells don’t hunt it down to kill it.
Eventually, enough of the new cancer cells accumulate so they start to seed in other parts of the body and take over the host. However, recent advances in immunotherapy are effective in the body’s ability to recognize it and destroy in a more natural way. These are techniques which have started in Europe and have recently found their way to America.
Treatments Are Possible
Fortunately, there are enough treatments out there to go after cancer effectively. These are both nutritional agents or pharmacological chemo drugs. However, the genetic blueprint for each cancer is different and the right agent has to be found for each person to go after it.
Vitamin C, Mistletoe and B-17 go after cancer like a dagger in the right concentrations. However, these therapies don’t work for everybody. The proper testing needs to be done to determine which are effective and which are not. Otherwise, treatment becomes a crapshoot and a person can end up being another cancer statistic.
Cancer Awareness in the Family
It is also important to know if an individual’s family has an inherited risk in their gene pool. If an inherited mutation is present it can raise the odds of developing certain cancers such as breast, ovarian and colon.
Often in these instances, cancer can develop early on and be more aggressive and resistant to standard treatments. Consequently, it’s important to take advantage of genetic testing and know your ancestral history.
Your doctor can refer you to a Certified Genetic Counselor who has the clinical background and experience on both genetic cancers and genetic testing. Following testing, a genetic counselor can explain your results and provide information on how to lower your chances of developing these cancers.
Still, there is much a person can do on their own.
Eating a holistic diet. Exercise to help activate the lymph system. Keep your stress down and learn to meditate or even pray. These are known to be effective in preventing the onset of cancer.
Ready to learn more information? Check out the other articles on our blog and remember to share this information to help raise cancer awareness.