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By Dr. Michael Miles
Cancer has touched most of our lives in one-way or another. It is a term that is uttered with fear and in hushed tones in polite company. The “war on cancer” has been waged for over three decades with very little to show for the heroic efforts being applied. This failure to understand “the enemy” suggests some fundamental flaws in our approach to this “battle.” Number one might be the notion that it is a battle against a foreign enemy to be destroyed at all cost.
Cancer is, in fact, not an invading enemy. It is a medical condition identifying our own cells that are dividing out of control. And, though this can be harmful, it is not unusual and it absolutely follows all the laws of nature. Each and every day, each and every one of us has cancerous activity in our bodies, we have cells that are dividing without control. Our immune systems are designed to recognize and police such activity. Only when our immune system fails to do this, do we develop what is recognized as “cancer.”
No one is born a perfect human being. We all enter this life with various mutations of our DNA that add to our uniqueness. We often refer to these flaws as part of our genetic inheritance. Some of these gene variations can predispose us to developing cancerous activity that crop up in vulnerable areas of our bodies. An example of this would be a person with high estrogen. This person may be more susceptible to breast cancer than someone with low estrogen. Another example would be a person with mutations in their lung tissue that put them one or two or three steps closer to developing lung cancer. This person would be more susceptible to getting lung cancer and may develop it through contact with second hand smoke while the person next to them could smoke two packs a day for their entire life and die without a trace of lung cancer. Other “irritants” that susceptible people might be vulnerable to include radiation (nuclear, solar, medical), electromagnetic fields, and toxins such as pesticides, heavy metals and processed chemicals.
As we go through life we encounter many toxic elements that can harm or mutate some of the tens of trillions of cells in our bodies. Some of the mutations of the DNA accumulate in just the right patterns to cause the cells to multiple without the usual stopping signals. If this occurs in areas of our bodies that are susceptible because of our gene expression or because we are too run down to respond defensively or too preoccupied with other issues such as stress, then these cells may multiple without being detected and thus removed by our immune systems. When this happens and the accumulation of multiplying cells become large enough to be detected clinically, then we have what is termed “cancer.”
If we are diagnosed as having “cancer,” there are a few tips to consider when choosing a course of action.
• Doctors don’t know everything, though most of them are brilliant in their own ways. It is your job and the job of your family and other advocates to collect a team that can provide you with enough information for you to make reasonable decisions – knowing full well that very few preceding you have come up with the right formulas.
• Cancer is unique for each person. It is a condition reflecting the unique biochemical circumstances of each individual and therefore must be treated uniquely with each individual. What will work for one person may not work for another. It is often trial and error. Though statistics can be useful, it is extremely rare to find tests that can identify your unique responsiveness to a treatment.
• Cancer cells change often. What worked before may not work again. Some cells may respond to treatment, whereas others may not. It is important to continually search for new methods of compatible treatments.
• The current medical system is set up for trying only one treatment at a time. It may be more prudent to use many approaches to bring this condition under control. This multi-discipline approach might take form as several types of chemotherapy, or perhaps adding immune boosters, or combining adjunct nutritional support, etc. For example, did you know that melatonin can triple the effectiveness of Tamoxifen?
Whatever choices you make, remember that you are ultimately in control of your own treatment. You know yourself as well as anyone. You have unique insights into your situation that may hold the key to your survival. I encourage you to brainstorm with people you value and trust as much as possible. I truly believe that solutions exist.
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