STRESS !!!!
Stress is currently by far the biggest cause of Cancer.
Dr. Mark Hyman is one of the world’s leading experts on functional medicine. In a recent discussion he agrees that 95% of all health problems, including cancer are either caused by or worsened by stress.
Dr Hans Steyl was awarded a Nobel Prize for his work on all aspects of Stress and its effect and impact on the body and cancer.
He once said, "“It is not stress that kills us; it is our reaction to it.”
STRESS IS THE SILENT KILLER
Dr Steyl's main focus was on how STRESS interferes with the bodies amazing natural ability to. He concluded that there are 4 main groups of Stress that have a direct negative impact on how the body heals.
- EMOTIONAL STRESS: the following factors cause severe emotional stress: family and friends deaths, divorce, personal relationships, bullying and teasing, financial & job related problems, resentment, grief, anger, fear, anxiety, worry, indecision, depression and not forgiving.
- STRUCTURAL STRESS: the following factors cause severe structural stress: surgeries, arthritis, accidents, chronic and acute injuries, Chronic pain and swelling, degenerative joints and exxcessive training and exercise.
- BIOCHEMICAL STRESSORS: the following factors cause severe biochemical imbalance and stress in the body: polluted environmental toxicity, toxic processed food and GMO foods, oxidative stress (free radicals), toxic prescription drugs and chemotherapy, inflammation and infection, allergies, hormone disruption, drug and alcohol abuse, digestive problems, and dehydration.
- ENERGETIC STRESSORS: the following factors cause severe disruption to the energy generating capabilities of the body: computer, laptop and cell phone usage, WiFi, electronic and electrical appliances and equipment, poor sleep quality & quantity, excessive work, universal chakras / meridian energy imbalance and nerve interference.
It is critical for Cancer patients to eliminate as many of these stressors as possible to enable our bodies natural healing ability to heal us.
In a later topic I cover Stress Management in great detail which includes Adaptogens that you can start adding to your meals immediately.
The way you respond to stress determines every facet of your life, so it is very important to have robust response to stress.
Our modern lifestyles are fast paced, hectic and stressful and are not going to change any time soon, so its critical to achieve resilience and find ways to best manage your stress.
Adaptogens
It so happens that Adaptogens are the answer. Plants and herbs with amazing medicinal properties that help your body and mind cope with stress, much like meditation and visualisation. (covered later).
Adaptogens cover a number of critical stress management pathways, these include:
- reducing the main "stress hormone" - Cortisol - triggered by the Fight or Flight condition controlled by the nervous system
- reducing chronic inflammation and balancing the immune response
- protecting individual cells and organs
- enhancing or stimulating the central nervous system
The top 5 adaptogens include:
- Ashwagandha has been used in Ayurvedic medicine for over 5,000 years to treat anxiety, depression and stress. 300mgs per day reduces cortisol levels and reduces stress.
- Holy Basil has also been part of Ayurvedic medicine. It is a powerful anti-oxidant reducing oxidative stress, controls blood sugar, is a good detoxifying agent and reduces anxiety depression and stress.
- Reishi Mushrooms are very good to deal with daily stress and anxiety. However they are also packed full of cancer fighting amino acids, minerals and bioactive compounds. the best dosage is between 1.5 and 4.5 grams of mushrooms per day
- Chaga is a fungus with medicinal properties that goes back to the 16th century. It is a powerful anti-oxidant with anti-cancer capabilities, but it also stimulates the immune system and helps manage stress. The best dosage is 400-500 mgms per day.
- Rhodiola Rosea is commonly used in traditional medicine to treat depression and anxiety. It is very effective for fatigue, mood enhancement and stress. 200 - 600 mgms.
What Causes Cancer ?
The Conventional Cancer Industry continues to believe Cancer is a "genetic disease" and that your "genes" decide your destiny.
However with the new research emerging over the last 2 decades and the discovery of "Epigenetics"; this has all changed.
From the work done on epigenetics by people like Dr Andrew Feinberg of Johns Hopkins and Bruce Lipton Ph.D., the world renowned stem cell Biologist, we now know that genes are a static blueprint and that they are turned on (expressed) or off, by epigenetics.
Epigenetics is the science of how external environmental factors, like food or polluted air, and internal factors like stress and negative emotions are capable of turning genes "ON" or "OFF"
This is VERY good news as it means that we can control our genes and more importantly our health and specifically cancer, and therefore our "destiny".
The PRIMARY cause of ALL cancers, as discovered by Dr Otto Warburg in the 1920's, is a dysfunctional mitochondria. Mitochondria are the energy generators in most cells in the body that process oxygen and the nutrients from the food we eat, to generate the energy needed by each cell to achieve its function. Brain and heart cells use a lot of energy and therefore have thousands of mitochondria.
HOWEVER there are 2 critical questions; What damages the mitochondria ? and what are the SECONDARY (Downstream) Causes of cancer ?
EPIGENETICS !
A Modern Lifestyle Disease
We need to understand that cancer is a modern lifestyle disease and that the mitochondria can be damaged by a whole lot of different things - EPIGENETICS ! The main causes include all types of stress, toxic emotions and negative thoughts, the polluted toxic environment, air and water; toxic chemicals, lack of movement (exercise), electromagnetic force (EMF), GMO, convenience foods and processed foods, herbicides, prescription drugs, chemotherapy and radiation, as well as a lack of the essential nutrition that every one of the trillions of cells in our bodies need to function optimally and ensure good health and wellness.
Carcinogens are all cancer causing agents and are found in most toxic materials. Recent studies show that on average we have about 700 toxins in our body at any time and that many are carcinogens creating a potential for cancer. Fortunately we don't all get cancer because of our highly intelligent, miraculous Immune System, the core of our healing system, that has the ability to identify carcinogens and eliminate them as long it is not compromised and is fed the essential nutrition it needs.
For over 7 million years the human body has evolved living off the land and eating animal meat and fat as well as plants, fruit, grasses, seeds, nuts, herbs and spices. This provided the people with the necessary lob carb, high fat diets that sustained them and enabled them to remain healthy and have a long lifespan. During most of this time there were no doctors and very little chronic disease as we know it today.
Its only in the last 250 years, and after the Industrial revolution that man has started to live a highly toxic modern lifestyle eating large 
amounts of carbs, sugar, processed and fast fatty foods and taking allopathic toxic prescription drugs and chemotherapy. In addition new technologies, mobile networks and equipment have introduced new radiation levels of EMF that are having a huge effect on health and wellness and a major cancer driver.
Here is a list of 15 of the most common causes of cancer.
- STRESS – Physical, Emotional and Bio-chemical (Oxidative Stress - Free Radicals)
- Emotions, Negative Thoughts, Feelings and Behaviour
- Processed foods, all sugar, grain, commercial meat and dairy
- Starchy carbohydrates (turn into sugar)
- Chemical insecticides and herbicides, including GMOs and glyphosate
- Chemical-based pharmaceutical prescription drugs, chemotherapy and vaccines, including flu shot
- Bleach and ammonia in foods
- Chemical-based food colouring
- Polluted tap water and factory water that poisons our rivers and lakes
- Heavy metal toxins from industries that pollute farms
- Chemicals from automobiles and industries in cities
- Radiation and nuclear chemical pollution and leakage
- Chemical-based artificial sweeteners
- Nitrates and nitrites (chemical compounds commonly used to preserve meats)
- Electromagnetic Force (EMF) from all electronic devices and equipment including computers and WiFi
Dr Mark Hayman, a global leader in Functional Medicine had this to say in a discussion on what causes disease.
"We’ve created an abundance of food rich in calories that lacks nutritional quality. We’re overfed but undernourished. The soil is depleted of minerals and our the water is polluted with chemicals and heavy metals. The air is filled with mercury from coal-burning power plants, jet fuel exhaust and hundreds of other pollutants deemed safe by the Environmental Protection Agency.
Fighting against this reality, the demand for organic and nutritionally dense food has seen quite the resurgence. Most people are beginning to understand the deep connection between our food and our health.
The food-mood connection is undeniable.
Without certain raw materials obtained from your diet, production of key neurotransmitters, or brain chemicals that create positive emotions and allow you to deal with stress are gone.
Add sugars, refined carbohydrates such as breads, pastas, bagels, pastries, cookies, crackers, candy, soda, fast food, potato chips, diet drinks, oxidized and toxic oils (such as canola and rapeseed), and you have a recipe for disaster.
You simply cannot cultivate a healthy stress response if your body is sucked dry from these nutritional leeches."
In a later topic I cover the critical secondary cancer "hot-spots" and how we can target them using a "Therapeutic Ketogenic Metabolic Lifestyle" that includes very effective, non-toxic and affordable metabolic treatments, therapies and lifestyle choices.
Now that we know about Epigenetics and how our external environment and our internal inner terrain can turn genes on and off, we need to understand "How we get Cancer ?" In the next topic we are going to look at which genes and DNA pathways are responsible for initiating and progressing cancer.
HOW do we get Cancer ? ........ (more...)
Thank you for reading this Topic.
I hope this has given you a better insight as to what causes cancer and more importantly that you now know that your genes are not your destination and that by changing certain "epigenetics" you can take control of your own health and wellness and especially your cancer healing journey by using the Metabolic Approach to managing, controlling and healing cancer.
All of this information has been included in the development of the "Metabolic Cancer Healing Lifestyle" Series available in the Metabolic Cancer Portal, which enables you to develop a personalized "metabolic cancer healing lifestyle plan and schedule".
If you would like my personal help to develop a personalized "Metabolic Cancer Healing Lifestyle Plan and Schedule", please look at my cancer coaching program...........
I wish you ALL the very best and hope your day is filled with happiness, healing, love and caring !
Return to the Metabolic Cancer Portal Link to "HOW do we get Cancer ?"