In clinical practice[7], doctors observe that many cancer patients simply don't develop fevers, and cancer patients often report that they were never ill. Fever is the signal that launches our immune defenses.[19] Once a fever reaches 101.3oF (38.5oC), the level of immune defenses in the blood doubles within the next six hours.
Cancer patients also often report that long before they received a cancer diagnosis, they suffered from insomnia in one form or another, with constant fatigue and sometimes feelings of depression or loss of control[7].
Cancer is a disease of our genes (or DNA) and their proteins. Like all living organisms, our bodies are making defective cells all the time.
Body grows and repairs by duplicating cells. Cell division normally begins with the tightly coiled DNA opening up to start copying itself in response to signals triggered from outside the cell. The message are carried along from the cell surface to its nucleus by a series of proteins that make up growth-signaling pathways.
The human genome is loaded with genes which express proteins that make up these metabolic routes, and when the genes start barking out inappropriate orders to divide in an uncontrolled way, any one of them can become an oncogene.
Oncogenes (or cancer-inducing genes) can form at many points along this relay: growth factors outside the cell, specific growth receptors on the cell membrane that these factors lock onto, other proteins inside the cell that pick up signals from receptors and relay them to the cell nucleus, and ones that interact directly with the DNA to trigger or sustain the cell division process.
Due to normal wears-and-tears and other environmental factors, DNA changes or mutates. These changes can accumulate over time and cause genetic errors. In Mother Nature's wisdom, adult cells age and will eventually be disposed of by the body. Apoptosis is used to describe this natural and purposeful cell death. Suicide genes lie dormant in all cells, waiting until they get a fateful call to trigger apoptosis. When the system is working, apoptosis eliminates rogue cancer cells long before they have a chance to form a tumor mass. However, sometimes cancer cells can evolve ways to outwit our many bodily defenses.
Cancer lies dormant in all of us. New research[3] suggests that microscopic cancer, small cancer cells (0.5mm3) that can only been seen under a microscope, is widely prevalent. A recent study of women in their 40s indicated that 40% of them had microscopic breast cancer. Even more shocking, almost 100% of people in their 70s will have microscopic cancer in their thyroid glands.
However, our bodies are also equipped with a number of mechanisms that detect and keep such cells in check. It is up to each of us to use our body's natural defenses. When we're healthy, there is an ongoing balance between the spontaneous development of new cancer cells and our bodies' immune activity to identify and eliminate the newly formed cancerous cells as rapidly as possible.
Cancer patients also often report that long before they received a cancer diagnosis, they suffered from insomnia in one form or another, with constant fatigue and sometimes feelings of depression or loss of control[7].
Growth-Signaling Pathways
Body grows and repairs by duplicating cells. Cell division normally begins with the tightly coiled DNA opening up to start copying itself in response to signals triggered from outside the cell. The message are carried along from the cell surface to its nucleus by a series of proteins that make up growth-signaling pathways.
The human genome is loaded with genes which express proteins that make up these metabolic routes, and when the genes start barking out inappropriate orders to divide in an uncontrolled way, any one of them can become an oncogene.
Oncogenes (or cancer-inducing genes) can form at many points along this relay: growth factors outside the cell, specific growth receptors on the cell membrane that these factors lock onto, other proteins inside the cell that pick up signals from receptors and relay them to the cell nucleus, and ones that interact directly with the DNA to trigger or sustain the cell division process.
Apoptosis
Due to normal wears-and-tears and other environmental factors, DNA changes or mutates. These changes can accumulate over time and cause genetic errors. In Mother Nature's wisdom, adult cells age and will eventually be disposed of by the body. Apoptosis is used to describe this natural and purposeful cell death. Suicide genes lie dormant in all cells, waiting until they get a fateful call to trigger apoptosis. When the system is working, apoptosis eliminates rogue cancer cells long before they have a chance to form a tumor mass. However, sometimes cancer cells can evolve ways to outwit our many bodily defenses.
A Balancing Act
Cancer lies dormant in all of us. New research[3] suggests that microscopic cancer, small cancer cells (0.5mm3) that can only been seen under a microscope, is widely prevalent. A recent study of women in their 40s indicated that 40% of them had microscopic breast cancer. Even more shocking, almost 100% of people in their 70s will have microscopic cancer in their thyroid glands.
However, our bodies are also equipped with a number of mechanisms that detect and keep such cells in check. It is up to each of us to use our body's natural defenses. When we're healthy, there is an ongoing balance between the spontaneous development of new cancer cells and our bodies' immune activity to identify and eliminate the newly formed cancerous cells as rapidly as possible.
Dr. Gorter's clinical practice has shown that:[7]
- Some patients have impaired immune function. This means they are unable to mount a fever to fight cancer cells.
- Other patients have impaired immune signaling. The cells that normally identify cancer and trigger an immune response are inactive.
Without a strong immune system to keep them at bay, cancer cells can proliferate unchecked. They selfishly consume resources to sustain their own perpetual life, ultimately draining the life from the very body they depend on for survival.
In a healthy body, the immune system can fight and disable cancer cells. However, if the immune system is compromised, it cannot cope with the task of neutralizing cancerous cells, and they are left to multiply and grow, leading to symptoms of cancer.
To conclude, Dr Agus[20] has described cancer as:
What keeps cancer under control is a conversation that is happening between your cells, and the language of that conversation is contained in your proteins. For cancer patients, somehowDr. Harvey Risch,[27] a Professor Emeritus and Senior Research Scientist in Epidemiology, believes that cancer is something a healthy human body can fight and disable, as the non-normal cancerous cells are gobbled up when detected in a body with a functional immune system. If the immune system is compromised, however, it cannot cope with the task of neutralizing cancerous cells, and cancerous cells are left to multiply and grow, leading to symptoms of cancer.
- The cells are deciding to divide when they shouldn't, not telling each other to die, or telling each other lies.
- All the regulation that is supposed to happen in this conversation is broken.
References
- Living Time—Faith and Facts to Transform Your Cancer Journey, written by Dr. Bernadine Healy, which most of my writing is based on. She is a cancer survivor herself and have been the former director of the NIH. This book simply walks you through her cancer journey.
- Anti Cancer—A New Way of Life written by Dr. David Servan-Schreiber. He is also a cancer survivor and has been the Director of the Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh. His book has become a big success and an international bestseller.
- 5 Foods That Starve Cancer
- Stress and How to Diffuse It
- Naturally-Occurring Antiangiogenic Substances
- Pros and Cons of Aspirin
- Fighting Cancer—A Nontoxic Approach to Treatment by Robert Gorter, MD, PhD and Erik Pepper, PhD. The Gorter Model was developed by Robert Gorter, MD, PhD, who himself recovered from Stage IV testicular cancer in 1976 by using nontoxic treatment.
- Documentaries about the Gorter Model — These videos include interviews with patients who have overcome cancer receiving the Gorter Model treatment.
- Foods to Fight Cancer: Essential Foods to Help Prevent Cancer by Beliveau, R., and D. Gingras. Excellent overview and description of foods and herbs that help fight cancer and promote the immune system.
- Make Health Happen: Training Yourself to Create Wellness by Peper, E., K.H.Gibney, and C. Holt. A sixteen-week structured stress-management and healing approach with detailed guided instructions that help us live with our bodies.
- Cancer as a Turning Point by LeShan, L. Written by a master clinician using case studies to show how listening to yourself and doing what you truly want improves your quality of life.
- My Path by Van Leusden, C. The book describes how the author chose a path through the cancer nightmare of metastatic breast cancer and is still here to enjoy the Now.
- Full Catastrophe Living by Kabat-Zinn, J. Describes the basis of mindfulness mediation that is used with many cancer patients.
- Dr. Vincent Li from Angiogenesis Foundation
- How to reduce your risk of cancer
- What's Cancer—A Different Perspective
- How to Track down Bad Genes in Your Genome?
- Databases vs Cancer Cells: A Clash of Titans
- Are You Fever Phobic? (Travel and Health)
- The End of Illness by David B. Agus, MD
- Learn How to Make Cultured Veggies at Home to Boost Your Immune System (Dr. Mercola)
- Immune System Basics (University of Arizona)
- Scientists finally figured out why you rarely get sick in the summer
- Our genes change with the seasons, just like the weather.
- Previous research has also found similar seasonal changes in various components of the immune system.
- White Blood Cell Chases Bacteria
- Which Food Fights Cancer Better? (Travel to Health)
- The DNA damage response pathways: at the crossroad of protein modifications
- Proteins involved in DNA Double-Strand Breaks Repair Pathways are essential to prevent the development of Cancer.
- Harvey Risch, MD, PhD—Professor Emeritus and Senior Research Scientist in Epidemiology (Chronic Diseases); Affiliated Faculty, Yale Institute for Global Health
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