EBook Resources About Cancer Cancer Nutrition Cancer Types Site Information
What Causes Cancer
What causes cancer? Overall health and nutrition greatly influences causes of cancer.
What is a cancer cell? It is the result of various hereditary and environmental influences.
There are many causes of cancer. Often there is an environmental element that could have been controlled. Other times there may be a rogue cell a person has that becomes abnormal over time. Some people have a genetic predisposition to developing cancer (but that doesn't mean they will).
Carcinogens have been found to relate directly to what causes cancer. Tobacco, the sun, asbestos, environmental fumes (causes of mesothelioma cancer)...these are all classed as carcinogens.
Carcinogens put free radicals into our bodies, and those free radicals move in and damage our otherwise healthy cells, thus answering, "What is a cancer cell?"
Genes do play a role in the possibility of developing cancer, and some people may be pre-dispositioned for certain types of cancer.
However, many scientists are now recognizing that hereditary issues may not play as powerful a role in developing cancer as our diet, environmental factors, and overall health and nutrition.
Age and exposure to viruses are also involved in what causes cancer.
Nutritional deficiencies leave us open to cancer beginning to develop, so it becomes essential to supplement our daily diets. pHion Concentrated Juice Formula of 40 Alkaline Grasses, Fruits and Veggies is one of the best nutritional supports I have found. This is a high-grade supplement with no synthetic fillers. It is also recommended for cancer patients who struggle with retaining or gaining weight during treatment.
It is essential that you balance your body's pH if you are fighting cancer
What Is Cancer?
We use the term "cancer" to describe any disease where abnormal cells divide rapidly and without the usual control. These cells will invade other tissues, bones, blood streams and lymphatic systems.
Types of cancer can be grouped into five broad categories. These categories are named for where the cancers occur.
Leukemia: starts in blood-forming tissues and travel into the bloodstream
Carcinoma: begins in the skin or tissues
Sarcoma: begins in the bone, fat, muscle, vessels and other connective tissues
Lymphoma: starts in the lymph nodes and tissues in the immune system
Central Nervous System: begin in the brain and spinal cord
Other forms of cancer that fall under these categories can be primary or secondary cancers linked to radiation side effects.
What Is A Cancer Cell?
All types of cancer begin in cells (or at the cellular level). Our cells are supposed to grow, divide and die (apoptosis). The problem comes when certain cells do not die. They continue to grow and manifest themselves as cancer (hence, what causes cancer!).
Cancer cells are anaerobic. They don't need or want oxygen to survive. They thrive on fermented sugar (glucose). This is one reason why it is extremely important to cut out refined sugar as part of an anti-cancer diet.
Why don't these cells die? Something inside the cell's DNA (genetic material) has been damaged. The cell mutates and may form a mass we call a "tumor."
Scientists will often call cancer cells "immortal." They are difficult to kill and can stop themselves from self-destructing. They just keep copying their cancerous selves until a tumor is eventually formed.
Cancer cells have a protective protein coating on them, just like early fetal trophoblast cells. This coating keeps white blood cells from attacking the cancer, just like it protects the placenta and umbilical cord on a developing baby.
However, this coating on fetal cells stop proliferating by the eighth week of pregnancy when the baby's pancreas begins to function. Cancer cells never stop.
They also can let go of their neighboring cells (normal cells are "sticky" and stay where they belong). Cancerous cells go visiting anywhere they like, hence cancer being able to spread throughout the body.
In one sense though, cancer is really a disease of modern living.