America's 40 year war on cancer

[Jlabute]

The war goes on until it is won. 1970s prediction was definitely biting off more than anyone could chew. Man barely understands the nature of cancer and the human body today... even less in the 70s. Even recently we are still discovering new body parts.

http://www.iflscience.com/health-and-me ... discovered

My mother in law just passed away from aplastic anemia (similar to leukemia) and it was quite evident no one could tell what would have caused it or if it was genetic or anything. No one new how to treat it other than guessing and throwing resources at it. Standard treatments played out in the lack of knowing any better. The disease name itself tells nothing more than the condition which you see from tests. She was walking and healthy and three weeks later she died. No one can say if the strong antibiotics helped or harmed. It is all mostly a statistical guess. After a few weeks of narrowing the problem down, it was basically too late. Apparently, a $500,000 bone marrow transplant might have helped but not on someone who would have died in surgery. Some drugs can take months before you even know if the are working... and it is not helpful if you gave weeks left to live.

[Donald G]

by Jlabute » 14 minutes ago

No one knew how to treat it other than guessing and throwing resources at it. Standard treatments played out in the lack of knowing any better.

Four years ago my sister died of bone cancer that was not located in spite of having traveled to her uterus and bladder while the doctor was trying different things in an effort to determine why she kept showing up at the hospital emergency room for severe hip pain over a period of just over a year.

They tried numerous treatments for best possibilities regarding the hip pain, eventually located and operated to remove her bladder and uterus but never found the advanced bone cancer in her hip bone(s).

You are right that in spite of all of the advances we have made in medicine it is still a "best guess" situation. Like when they used to replace parts on a car until the defective one was eventually found by elimination.

[Queen K]

I don't know anyone who hasn't suffered a loss through cancer, and if they haven't yet, there are about to.

What's more, we have more and more palliative care clients every month. Never have I seen so many all at once. And not the seniors either, the younger people, middle aged. 40-60 age group. Cancer is epidemic and there is no way this is the end.

[Donald G]

The last 100 years has seen the evolution of a completely different new world in North America. Especially Canada. With that new world has come 5,000 changes, any one or combination of which may be the cause of the increase in any number of medical conditions and diseases, including cancer.

In spite of all that we know we are like a blind man on a dark night when it comes to understanding much that goes right and wrong with our bodies. Included in that is the fact that we do not know what is triggering the large and accelerating number and types of cancer.

[zzontar]

Included in that is the fact that we do not know what is triggering the large and accelerating number and types of cancer.

Diet and lifestyle are ones that we do know for sure. The countries with the healthiest diets have the lowest cancer rates. Even in America, the Amish have almost half the cancer rates as the rest of the country, which must really p*ss off the big pharmas. They also don't use sunscreen and have the lowest rate of skin cancer. Sunscreen, lotions, processed foods... all loaded with chemicals our bodies can't handle... all things that coincide with rising cancer rates.

[Donald G]

by zzontar » Yesterday, 8:25 pm

... all things that coincide with rising cancer rates.

Do you think that "coincide with" means "causes" ??

[zzontar]

Do you think that "coincide with" means "causes" ??

In this case yes, and there is lots of evidence to back it up.
Bad diet and lifestyle causes as much cancer as smoking.

[Queen K]

If you follow the obits and start reading how people have died, you might be forgiven if your spidey senses say, "geez, that's a lot of cancer!"

I mean, how many men between the ages of 45-65 have to have cancer in their write ups before it makes you go "hmmmm."

Well here's hard evidence albeit in the USA, that cancer deaths are on the rise. I like the analogy of two trucks driving in lanes, one is going fast (heart disease) but the other is speeding up (cancer.) Makes it make sense. But why so much cancer lately?

http://www.cnn.com/2016/08/24/health/le ... ended_pool

[zzontar]

But why so much cancer lately?

Processed foods, poor lifestyle, chemicals in lotions and sunscreen, etc. for starters. The Amish shy away from those and have almost half the cancer rates of the rest of America.

[Donald G]

One of the reasons that more and more people are dying of cancer is that more and more people are living much longer.

Rest assured that if we were to magically eliminate cancer there is another life ending condition that will effect those just a little older than the age where cancer used to cause their death.

[Donald G]

To a large extent our life expectancy is genetically determined by the number of times our system can reproduce the wide variety of specific cells needed by the body to keep itself in good repair. Once the number is reached the body has to start improvising.

[zzontar]

One of the reasons that more and more people are dying of cancer is that more and more people are living much longer.

Rest assured that if we were to magically eliminate cancer there is another life ending condition that will effect those just a little older than the age where cancer used to cause their death.

... and the Amish aren't living longer?

[Bpeep]

To a large extent our life expectancy is genetically determined by the number of times our system can reproduce the wide variety of specific cells needed by the body to keep itself in good repair. Once the number is reached the body has to start improvising.

That cellular turnover is determined by a number of factors, diet and lifestyle likely more so than genetics.
My parents didn't have a clue about healthy diet and lifestyle and I'm certain I'm healthier now that they were at my age.
I never knew how sick I was until I got away from their diets and lifestyles.
I feel like a million bucks.
USD.
I'm so healthy, I'll die of nothing.
It's just so unfortunate that a million is almost worthless ...

[Donald G]

I agree with you up to a point but genetic research is now strongly suggesting that each cell in our body has a regeneration number maximum determined by the Hayflick limit (or Hayflick phenomenon).

The Hayflick limit is the number of times a normal human cell population will divide until cell division stops. Empirical evidence shows that the telomeres associated with each cell's DNA will get slightly shorter with each new cell division until they shorten to a critical length.

The following thread gives a simplified version of what is suspected:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hayflick_limit

[averagejoe]

Interesting article....


Why Don’t The Amish Get Cancer?

1. The Amish Don’t Get Vaccinated.

2. The Amish Eat Organic, Locally Grown Food.

3. The Amish Eat Plenty of Healthy Fats.

4. The Amish People are Physically Active.

5. The Amish Live Stress Free Lives

http://complete-health-and-happiness.co ... et-cancer/