Cancer: What It Is, Why Cases Are Exploding, and the Immune System's Decisive Role

What is cancer?

Cancer is a group of diseases — more than a hundred of them. Unlike normal cells, cancer cells multiply uncontrollably and form a tumour. Some forms of cancer, such as leukaemia (blood cancer), may not form a solid tumour at all. Our bodies are made of trillions of cells that grow, divide, and die. This "programme" is written into the DNA of every cell. Put simply: that programme breaks down (causes below), and the cell follows just one command — multiply. This cancer cell no longer "knows" that the body does not need new cells, or that it is time for it to die. It just divides, and the cancer spreads — eventually moving into other organs.

In most cases, cancer is not an inherited disease. Genetic changes develop over millennia. Cancer was once a very rare disease — in the 1900s, 63 cases per 100,000 people.¹³ Today it is projected that nearly one in two people will develop cancer in their lifetime.¹⁴ Over a single century, the number of cases has grown — let us not be afraid of the word — catastrophically.

Only by understanding where cancer comes from, and identifying the factors that are within our control, can we make considered lifestyle changes that tilt both the statistics and our quality of life in our favour. So let us look at the causes.

Why do we get cancer?

Smoking sits near the top of the list of carcinogens (a carcinogen is a substance that causes or promotes the development of cancerous tumours). Alcohol is not far behind. If you smoke and drink, the statistics suggest you are unlikely to die "of old age." That smoking causes cancer has long been established — but alcohol is now also on the "Group 1" carcinogen list. Cancer causes are studied, and the carcinogen list compiled, by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), part of the World Health Organization.

Wood dust and shavings. Those working in furniture-making or similar wood-processing sectors should take note. Salted fish. A study of 80,000 people in Japan found that heavily salted food, such as fish, increased cancer cases by up to 15%. Air pollution causes lung cancer. Indoor air pollution and urban air quality are two of the largest toxic-exposure problems. According to a 2014 WHO report, around 7 million people died from air pollution in 2012.

The causes of cancer

Many people still believe cancer is purely inherited — in which case avoiding it would be a lottery. That may be a very "convenient" position, since it removes any obligation to live "correctly." But making the effort, it turns out, pays off. Using publicly available sources and research, you can adjust your lifestyle and shift the statistics quite impressively in your favour. Cancer is, plainly, not the fault of "genetic inheritance" — it is a modern disease. Let us summarise what has changed in 100 years:

• Poor-quality food: we moved from whole food to processed food and ready meals. We get little fibre, burdening the immune system and increasing inflammation in the body.² Sugar added everywhere makes people fat — a direct cause of cancer.³ Mass-used high-temperature-processed vegetable oils increase inflammation (agitating the immune system),⁴ damage cell integrity⁵ and DNA,⁶ and cause mutations.⁷
• The wrong lifestyle: more sitting,⁸ less physical activity,⁹ smoking and, of course, alcohol.
• Toxins in the environment and at home: enormous urban air pollution, plus the chemistry of everyday household products.

So what do we actually know about cancer?

First of all, we know it is a very old disease.¹⁰ People fell ill with it centuries ago. Even animals get cancer. And why shouldn't they? At its core, these are cells that "lost" their (DNA) programme code and became uncontrolled. Every single day, anywhere from a few hundred to a few thousand such cells appear in the human body. Cells with altered code are part of normal metabolic processes.¹¹

The point is this: if your immune system is working properly, it destroys every cell with corrupted code. What we call cancer is the result of the immune system not doing its job — allowing some of those corrupted-code cells to survive long enough to take hold and begin multiplying.

When the altered cells grow their own supporting blood vessels — to supply themselves with food and the other materials they need to thrive — they begin producing sophisticated substances such as PD-L1, CD24 and CD47. These are complex protein compounds that, once attached to the surface of cancer cells, send a signal to your immune system: "do not attack me." This tactic of the cancer cells could be described as a cloak of invisibility — they hide from the very system designed to destroy them.

What will help me against cancer?

You need to balance your diet and the other factors you can influence (from the list above). This eases the immune system's work, and makes treatment (chemotherapy and so on) more effective. With natural immunomodulators you can influence how the immune system behaves and direct it to attack cancer cells with maximum force. You will help yourself considerably by doing the following:

• Lentinan supplements are used at all stages of cancer treatment. Lentinan improves the effectiveness of conventional treatment, reduces side effects, and improves quality of life. These are active compounds extracted from medicinal mushrooms, widely used in the East (in Japan), because they are powerful immunomodulators that prompt the immune system to detect and destroy cancer cells. The shortest recommended course is 3 months — the longer it is taken, the better the results.
• Breathing exercises — look into the Wim Hof method.
• Exercise (do not underestimate it!).
• And be sure to read about what to eat after chemotherapy.