One's cancer could just be bad luck

[NW-Bound]

There is a great TED talk by Dr. Peter Attia who once cared for (and judged) patients with seemingly self-induced diseases like diabetes. His life experience transformed his perspective on the causes as well as the presumptions surrounding the causes. It's a great talk to watch...

https://www.ted.com/talks/peter_attia_what_if_we_re_wrong_about_diabetes

Thanks for sharing.

The good doctor himself talked about how he was able to shed 40 lbs and reverse his type-2 diabetes by changing his diet and reducing carb intake. Prior to this, he exercised 3 to 4 hours each day, but he "followed the food pyramid to the letter" as he said.

 

[Car-Guy]

Well I did quit smoking 30+ years ago (still miss it sometimes) and I really never drank that much alcohol (beer isn't really alcohol, is it?)

I eat what I want (love hamburgers, pizzas, fast foods, etc) and often over eat. I drink sodas, although not as many as in the past. I don't exercise other than working around my property when needed and on my hobbies and I'm not overweight. I don't go to the doctor unless it for something that is bothering me "at the time" and it just won't go away on it's own.

Never missed a days work due to an illness and I made it to Medicare without ever being in a hospital. Still have all my teeth (see) I don't need to wear glasses to drive and my hearing is okay (just don't ask my DW about that one).

I'm not going to change now and why mess with success. YMMV

 

[mistershankly]

Well I did quit smoking 30+ years ago (still miss it sometimes) and I really never drank that much alcohol (beer isn't really alcohol, is it?)

I eat what I want (love hamburgers, pizzas, fast foods, etc) and often over eat. I drink sodas, although not as many as in the past. I don't exercise other than working around my property when needed and on my hobbies and I'm not overweight. I don't go to the doctor unless it for something that is bothering me "at the time" and it just won't go away on it's own.

Never missed a days work due to an illness and I made it to Medicare without ever being in a hospital. Still have all my teeth (see) I don't need to wear glasses to drive and my hearing is okay (just don't ask my DW about that one).

I'm not going to change now and why mess with success. YMMV

Your perspective and experience are very encouraging. How did you deal with work and life stress? Did you make a conscious effort to find balance or did you have a meditation/mindfulness practice of some sort? Based on my observations of friends and family who have battled health issues, most (if not all) of them didn't have a healthy way of managing stress and ended up internalizing or not managing the effects of stress on their bodies.

 

[Car-Guy]

It was an interesting article but I just don't buy that only 5% are hereditary. I'm not a doctor or a medical researcher but that just doesn't fit everything I've heard "and seen" all my life. I certainly don't think hereditary factors are an absolute or guarantee but 5% seems very low.

The researchers estimated that 66 percent of the mutations that drive cancer are from random replication errors over time; 29 percent are driven by environmental factors; and 5 percent are hereditary.

 

[Car-Guy]

Your perspective and experience are very encouraging. How did you deal with work and life stress? Did you make a conscious effort to find balance or did you have a meditation/mindfulness practice of some sort? Based on my observations of friends and family who have battled health issues, most (if not all) of them didn't have a healthy way of managing stress and ended up internalizing or not managing the effects of stress on their bodies.

Well I was often stressed at work and life in general, like so many of us. Lost some sleep many times due to stress at work and worked long hours but finally found a cure for work related stress. I retired. Still have some life stress from time to time but have learned (since retiring) to let things run their course and not worry so much, for the most part.

 

[Lsbcal]

...
Unfortunately, it turned out she had a brain tumor. Just took a long time to find it. It's not going well.....

Still - it seems somehow people thought she would be immune. I guess that's really some level of wishful thinking?
...

Yes I guess we'd like to think if a person looks fit and feels fit, they are less likely to be in the unlucky group. May be some logic to that but for some diseases there seem to be no known ways to dodge that dodge ball.

 

[nativenewenglander]

My wife and women in general, I think, would love to die trying to each all that chocolate. My FIL died of cancer two years ago, my wife and SIL both had tumors removed in the last three months. Just luck or chance or something more. My dad had only three finger on his right hand and a short arm on that side. He told me of two other kids he knew from his school in the 1930's and 40's they both lived in his neighborhood and both had no hand or finger nubs on the right side. Chance or something more?

 

[NW-Bound]

Environmental factors can be strong ones. For example, I saw that Australia leads the world in overall cancer rate. The culprit? Skin cancer.

About 2 out of 3 Australians are diagnosed with skin cancer when they reach 70. Staggering statistics, isn't it? Makes me stop and think about the nearly year-round blue sky we have here in the Southwest. On a rare day when we have an overcast sky, my wife and I call it a good day.

 

[jennykay]

I fought cancer when I was 35. My doctor told me getting cancer was just "bad luck" and when treatments were over he told me to just go back to my original lifestyle. Given cancer's increase over time (and zero cancer history in my family), I just couldn't believe that. I have read Dr. Attia's Eating Academy blog (insulin resistance/metabolic syndrome) and have read various articles and books about the role of sugar/refined carbohydrates and I can see strong evidence of a relationship. What frustrates me most is that medical doctors do not study nutrition and (in my experience) will not discuss it. About 6 months ago I radically cut sugar and carbs and find myself 25 lbs lighter and with significantly higher energy. I was never considered overweight but my guess is I had become insulin resistant. I'm going with it and will track new research.

 

[Fedup]

Environmental factors can be strong ones. For example, I saw that Australia leads the world in overall cancer rate. The culprit? Skin cancer.

About 2 out of 3 Australians are diagnosed with skin cancer when they reach 70. Staggering statistics, isn't it? Makes me stop and think about the nearly year-round blue sky we have here in the Southwest. On a rare day when we have an overcast sky, my wife and I call it a good day.

I was thinking skin cancer is definitely in this category. I told my husband somebody on the net died of skin cancer. He's been wearing hat and sun skin religiously since.

 

[Fedup]

Skinniness doesn't mean healthy. I've often told my kids. BMI is not everything. They are under that impression with low BMI. I have high BMI, but I rarely get sick. I guess I have strong immune system. Work to build your immune system. It's your first line of defense. Years of acupuncture must have boosted my immune system.

 

[Fedup]

Thanks for sharing.

The good doctor himself talked about how he was able to shed 40 lbs and reverse his type-2 diabetes by changing his diet and reducing carb intake. Prior to this, he exercised 3 to 4 hours each day, but he "followed the food pyramid to the letter" as he said.

The food pyramid is a shame. No wonder we as a nation get very sick.

 

[6miths]

For those that are interested the 'Hallmarks of Cancer' gives an excellent explanation of how cancer 'happens'. Chance mutations play a very large role and most cancers require multiple mutations before they become malignant. Heredity can give you a predisposition but one still needs a few (or more) 'hits' to get to cancer. Some melanomas (which is the only skin cancer that is counted in traditional cancer statisitics) have over a hundred mutations and their chromosome counts can be truly bizarre (varying dramatically from 46, XY or 46, XX).

 

[harley]

I was thinking skin cancer is definitely in this category. I told my husband somebody on the net died of skin cancer. He's been wearing hat and sun skin religiously since.

Sun Exposure Benefits May Outweigh Risks Say Scientists - Medical News Today

 

[audreyh1]

Sun Exposure Benefits May Outweigh Risks Say Scientists - Medical News Today

I heard a doctor talking about sun exposure having protective effects recently, but I think it was different than your link. Quite a reversal of conventional thinking!

 

[harley]

From the previous article:

Richard Weller, Senior Lecturer in Dermatology, and colleagues, say the effect is such that overall, sun exposure could improve health and even prolong life, because the benefits of reducing blood pressure, cutting heart attacks and strokes, far outweigh the risk of getting skin cancer

And here's another one. Sun can Actually Protect You Against Skin Cancer

Sunlight causes your skin to produce vitamin D -- a fact that, ironically, means that sunscreen campaigns may have made millions of people chronically short of this critical nutrient, and put them at a greater risk of skin cancer, rather than reducing their risk.

 

[Fedup]

No wonder we all get sick. If only people or doctors could agree on things. This particular person told people on the internet, she didn't wear sunscreen and she had fair skin. So I told my husband and he has been wearing hat everyday when he goes for a walk.

 

[harley]

Well, if you read the second article you'll see that they have specific recommendations for sun exposure.

To optimize your levels, you need to expose large portions of your skin to the sun, and you may need to do it for more than a few minutes. And, contrary to popular belief, the best time to be in the sun for vitamin D production is actually as near to solar noon as possible.
[snip]
So to use the sun to maximize your vitamin D production and minimize your risk of malignant melanoma, the middle of the day (roughly between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.) is the best and safest time. During this time you need the shortest exposure time to produce vitamin D because UVB rays are most intense at this time. Plus, when the sun goes down toward the horizon, the UVB is filtered out much more than the dangerous UVA.

In terms of length of exposure, you only need enough exposure to have your skin turn the lightest shade of pink. This may only be a few minutes for some if you have very pale skin.

I agree about the frustration with the docs and scientists not being able to agree. But that's how science works. My main source of skepticism tends to come when the "accepted knowledge" is pushed by the medical associations, the gov't, and the pharmaceutical industries at the same time. Like with statins and the low fat storyline for the last 30/40 years. And now my conspiracy theory tendencies are being stimulated by the big push for getting Baby Boomers tested for Hep C, at the same time when 5 of the 10 most expensive drugs on the market are for Hep C. What a coincidence.

 

[Fedup]

My husband and I often stay away from the midday sun when we go for a walk. So this study is even more crazy then I can accept. I rather take Vitamin D. Maybe I've been brainwashed to stay away from the sun.

 

[harley]

Weller says in a statement that:

"We suspect that the benefits to heart health of sunlight will outweigh the risk of skin cancer. The work we have done provides a mechanism that might account for this, and also explains why dietary vitamin D supplements alone will not be able to compensate for lack of sunlight."

From the first article I linked.

Obviously, make your own decisions, but I recommend continuing to read and learn, and don't lock into anything too rigidly.

 

[Lsbcal]

I think it's a good idea to see a dermatologist once a year or so. Here in California there is plenty of sun year round for me on my AM runs and gardening.

 

[Fedup]

I was worrying about my husband because he has fair skin. But his family doesn't have any history of heart attack. For me I garden year round, but I still have low vitamin D. My family has a history of heart attack, probably due to high BP. So I'm the one who needs to watch out for heart attack.

 

[NW-Bound]

All the above information is not necessarily conflicting. I remember reading somewhere that it takes only a few minutes in direct sunlight each week to get enough vitamin D. So, one can get enough exposure simply by walking to/from the parking lot to the supermarket, or to go to get mail each day.

One does not have to be hiding like a vampire because of the skin cancer risk, nor getting sunburn to get enough vitamin D.

 

[msieweke]

There are 3 common types of skin cancer: basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and melanoma. Sunburn is a strong risk factor for basal cell and squamous cell carcinoma, which are the kinds of cancer that almost nobody dies from. They are easy to detect and remove with outpatient surgery. Vitamin D deficiency is a strong risk factor for melanoma, which is the bad one that people die from. It's somewhat common to have melanoma on parts of the body that are usually well protected from the sun. My mom had melanoma on her ankle where the skin is always covered by a sock.

Vitamin D supplementation has been shown to reduce cancer incidence 25-75% in well-controlled, small studies. (All cancers, not counting skin carcinoma.)

Higher vitamin D status (>40 ng/ml vs <10 ng/ml) is associated with 65% reduction in general cancer risk, 80% reduction in breast cancer risk, and 50% reduction in colorectal cancer risk.

I have fair skin and sunbathe regularly in the spring and summer, at solar noon, wearing as little as modesty allows. 60 minutes a week is just enough to keep my D level at 38. I think it's unlikely that you can get enough sun exposure walking to/from the supermarket or going to get the mail, unless you shop in the nude . It might save you from rickets, though.

For more info: http://www.grassrootshealth.net/media/download/daction_cancer.pdf

 

[audreyh1]

Wow! I have had aggressive supplementation over the past couple of year to get up to >60 ng/ml in Vitamin D under Doctors instructions. I started out pretty low (24). I didn't realize it was so protective.

I do tend to hide from the sun.