CANCER

Comments 78

1. 
   Jo Elmer

   February 4, 2017 at 5:02 pm

   It seems clear to me that we would rather die of cancer than ask questions which may implicate us in its cause and/or in its resolution…

   This blog is comprised of the very questions we have been avoiding and the scientist Mina Bissell is fearlessly and humbly asking them as well.

   The greatest hurtle I see to healing cancer is our human-avoidance-of-responsibility and our terror of being caught in irresponsibility… perhaps this is what creates arrogance?

   I feel we already know we are killing ourselves by allowing the quality of our inner life and the care of our body to deteriorate far below what feels natural or true for us; indeed feeling the harm of marinading our cells in unhappiness is a feeling no one can escape…

   …so the questions which lead to the answers are all here; the questions and their respondent answers are ours to claim and make new choices with; choices which bring about feelings of harmony and result in a quality of life we can recognize as what we have wanted all along.

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2. 
   Jo Elmer

   February 19, 2017 at 4:36 pm

   A diverse group of 1,945 women where surveyed by researchers 7 months after treatment for early stage breast cancer where the women rated the severity of seven common side effects of the cancer treatment:

   “93 percent of women said they experienced at least one of the seven side effects, with 45 percent rating it severe or very severe. Pain, skin irritation and constipation were most frequently severe or very severe.”

   This is important work on the treatments we need and doesn’t it also ask us to consider if it is time to also fund our researchers to look into why some women don’t get breast cancer?

   Can this study lead us to want to direct more energy toward understanding where cancer is coming from so we can focus on prevention?

   Does reading about the grueling journey of battling breast cancer invoke a desire for further studies that could empower us to take our health into our own hands so we don’t need to reach the point where we have to survey women about how severe their breast cancer treatment side effects are?

   http://www.news-medical.net/news/20170124/Study-Half-of-women-treated-for-early-stage-breast-cancer-report-severe-side-effects.aspx

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3. 
   Simple Living Global

   February 22, 2017 at 5:34 am

   What this amazing scientist is presenting is ‘out of the box’ talk. Not the norm so to speak. Mina Bissell could be giving us all a big clue and with her science background, some of us may just pay some attention.
   Our environment has something to do with how we behave and this can be applied in the same simple way to our cells.
   So what is going on around affects the cancer cell. By changing the outer the harmony can be restored.

   Maybe we are looking in the wrong places for our answers and bringing about real change will come one day, when we realise that our choices got us the cancer and our new choices if lived, may just change things in more ways that we can even imagine.

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   1. 
      Shevon Simon

      April 29, 2017 at 5:19 pm

      For a few years now there has been much objection to The Cancer Drugs fund.
      The fund was initiated by UK politicians as a way to address the lack of access to the latest cancer drugs for cancer patients, as the NHS would not fund them.

      However, this week it has been revealed that

      Only 1 in 5 of the treatments were of benefit.
      Only 18% of the drugs met internationally recognised criteria for being clinically beneficial.
      Over a 6 year period the fund cost £1.27 billion (£1,270,000,000) – 2010 – 2016.
      The fund was not monitored properly.
      Towards the end of the 6 years more than 50% of the drugs were being struck off the list.

      http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-39711137

      What went wrong here, as this is a very expensive lesson?

      Have we put too much focus on drugs being the only treatment option for cancer ignoring that there could be more to this deadly disease than we currently understand?

      Would we all benefit if we took note of what Mina Bissell is saying, as Simple Living Global are asking?

      Do we need to start thinking ‘outside the box’ as Bissell is saying so that we can be on the front foot in dealing with this dis-ease?

      Focusing on criticising what has gone wrong will not change anything and will only serve to keep us stuck. Being open to another way however, can incite change.

      Reply
4. 
   JS

   February 23, 2017 at 5:59 am

   I know from my own experience that context matters. My body responds differently in different environments. I might feel nauseous, tense, head-achey, disturbed or alert, vital, clean/clear, relaxed, depending on where I am, what I’m doing and how I am in that. It therefore makes absolute sense to me that cells would also respond to their environment. If I’m tense, I’m tense at a cellular level: that tension is inside me. If I’m pouring in toxins, my cells suffer that toxicity.

   Yet the idea that we could be responsible for our own dis-ease, which results in named diseases like cancer, seems so controversial. I can imagine the author of this blog being shot down on Newsnight for even suggesting such a thing. Why is that? What is standing it the way of us exploring that possibility. With the statistics off the chart, as exposed above (1 in every 4 deaths from cancer! 1,630 cancer deaths EVERY day), isn’t every stone worth turning?

   And what a great example, quoting the statistic about high resource countries having the the highest cancer incidences. Why would that be? Isn’t that worth researching to the endth degree: looking into what is causing that? And if we did research it, would we look to pollution and mobile telephony waves and the like for the cause or would we consider the possibility that there is something about the way we are living in high resource countries that is having a crippling effect on our health?

   If we look, what will we see?

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5. 
   Jane Keep

   February 26, 2017 at 2:48 pm

   And in the news on World Cancer Day – “Effective cure will happen in five to 10 years, says leading expert. Advances in genetics mean doctors will be able to prescribe drugs to treat each individual’s unique form of cancer, turning the often deadly disease into a chronic, but treatable condition”
   http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/world-cancer-day-2017-effective-cure-will-happen-five-to-10-years-expert-karol-sikora-a7558846.html#gallery
   Whilst that is a great advance in genetics, it makes me feel that in this we are ‘normalising’ cancer in that it becomes a ‘chronic condition’ – and just a normal part of many other ‘chronic conditions’. The forecasts for those who will get cancer is rocketing through the roof – cancer is ruthless when it takes hold of the body. Where is the research and studies on why we get cancer in the first place? We know it is linked to lifestyle – where are the research studies that look at how lifestyle can reduce the incidence of cancer – when we get a cancer diagnosis what if a change in lifestyle can reduce its progression, or its return?

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6. 
   Shevon Simon

   February 27, 2017 at 6:04 pm

   Thank you for sharing this article Jane Keep
   http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/world-cancer-day-2017-effective-cure-will-happen-five-to-10-years-expert-karol-sikora-a7558846.html#gallery

   Where will we be in 5-10 years, if we herald cancer as a long term chronic condition?
   Will there be another disease to then take its place?

   With due respect to our medical professionals who work tirelessly to find a cure what you say makes a lot of sense Jane, ‘Where is the research and studies on why we get cancer in the first place?’

   If we spent an equal amount of time and energy focussed on looking at why we get cancer, rather than focusing solely on how to make people better, we would make great inroads into understanding this disease and support less new cases developing.

   The numbers of people that are ill affected with each cancer case is huge. It is not only the person diagnosed who is affected but all those that they interact with – family, friends, colleagues, neighbours, etc

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7. 
   Shevon Simon

   March 5, 2017 at 12:27 pm

   Cancer rates are expected to rise by 6 times faster among women than men over the next 20 years, as reported in The Week magazine, 18th February 2017.

   Analysis conducted by Cancer Research UK suggests that rates will rise by about 3% for women by 2035 and 0.5% for men.

   This means that approx. 4.5 million women and 4.8 million men will have been diagnosed with cancer by 2035. This will mainly be driven by increases in obesity. Many of the cancers linked to weight e.g. breast, womb and ovarian cancer are mainly cancers that affect women.

   In addition to the above, more women are being diagnosed with cancer as women are drinking more than we used to. Although smoking rates in general are declining, as women took up smoking in the mid-20th century as men were starting to quit.

   This is astonishing to read and shows the trend of where we are heading if we do not deal with this disease and look at and address the lifestyle factors that are affecting us.

   Reading this blog, certainly has a lot of questions and answers that can support any of us to make that change.

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8. 
   Ken Elmer

   March 6, 2017 at 3:41 pm

   When I read or hear about cancer I get this sick feeling in my body. And I have had very little personal experience with it. I feel it is about having no control over getting or not getting cancer. There is mystery around cancer that I do feel around other diseases.
   I am noticing that when I feel this feeling I push it away. I do not want to feel it, an old pattern in my life.
   I have committed to feeling all the feelings in my life now and it has totally changed my life. At first some of the feelings are scary but I am trusting my self more that my body knows how to deal with the feelings. This allows me to be more open to all the wonderful feelings. And I can look at things like cancer with a different perspective, not running away from it. Now I have a better chance to make a more appropriate response to cancer.

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9. 
   Ken Elmer

   March 6, 2017 at 9:20 pm

   I feel that everyone knows that cancer risk can be substantially reduced just by taking better care of ourselves. So why is is so difficult to do these simple things that will increase our quality of life and reduce the risk of cancer? Why have we not asked this question before?

   Look at all the amazing things that mankind has accomplished when there is a need or desire, yet when it comes to our personal health we seem to feel it is not a priority. All it would take to deal with our health care crisis is make it the number one priority in our lives.

   This kind of blog is a step in the right direction. Get these facts out there. Talk about them. They should be front page news. We are extremely powerful if we speak up and do not hold back.

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10. 
    Shushila

    March 7, 2017 at 6:50 am

    Reading this blog has highlighted the way we live is attributing to cancer. Surely as intelligent species we could work this out by now, do we need scientists to tell us or make us believe where man kind is at, common sense is within us all. People rather be excited about life on Mars or the possibilities of living there because they’ve discovered water, yet there’s life and water on earth. Investment of energy on other things or finding cures for cancers is not serving man kind, instead investment on true prevention of cancer, with the first step of being responsible and accountable for everything we do.

    If what we put into our bodies causes a condition or disease then why are people not accountable for their choices? Is there a possibility that people continued belief that the health system will fix everything including their irresponsibility? The reality check is the health system has its own problems. I have worked in the NHS and Australian health system for over two decades and the state of health of the nurses, midwives, doctors has changed, obesity being one of them.

    In 2016 it was estimated 130,466 (72,048 males and 54,418 females) were newly diagnosed cancer cases in Australia (it is only an estimate and not definitive, so assuming the numbers are probably higher).

    Estimated number of deaths from cancer were 46,880 (26,566 males and 20,314 females).

    The most common new cancers were prostate – 18,138, with bowel at 17,520 and breast at 16,084.

    https://canceraustralia.gov.au/affected-cancer/what-cancer/cancer-australia-statistics

    Reply
11. 
    Shevon Simon

    March 16, 2017 at 2:13 am

    E-cigarettes are not the health alternative to smoking that we think.

    Daily Mail – 11th March 2017

    Researches have found that smokers of e-cigarettes may be exposing themselves to high levels of cancer causing chemicals.

    Benzene, which is found in traffic pollution and paint stripper has been linked to a number of diseases. Benzene has been found in ‘alarming amounts’ in e-cigarettes when they have been used at high power.

    Benzene has been called ‘the biggest single cancer-risk ambient air toxin’ in the USA.

    The advice is to stay away from using e-cigarettes on high power settings.

    Is this advice enough?

    Should we be really looking at WHY, when we know one thing is bad for us – tobacco and the high cancer risk – do we need to find an alternative?

    Could seeking alternatives all stem from the same ill of trying to cover up something else that we are trying to avoid?

    I remember when I used to smoke there was always an empty feeling inside that I was trying to cover up and silence with the smoking. Each cigarette gave me temporary relief, until the feeling occurred again and I would go for the next one.

    As Simple Living Global asks “Is there something missing in our lives?”

    Could this be the reason why we choose to smoke?

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12. 
    Tim Bowyer

    March 22, 2017 at 9:23 am

    This is an awesome blog with some very shocking statistics.

    The author of this blog has asked a lot of pertinent questions as to how we look at what cancer really means to us and how we are so scared of that dreaded diagnosis of the ‘C’ word.

    Why does having a diagnosis of cancer conjure up fear and dread as opposed to other diagnoses like heart disease or diabetes?

    Could it be possible that, as this blog asks, the way we live our everyday lives is what causes cancer or any other illness or dis-ease for that matter?

    As a race of people, we like to blame everyone and anything else for why we have been ‘CHOSEN’ to have an illness.

    Skin cancer, for instance, is generally blamed on the sun.

    If the sun causes skin cancer, then why has the whole world NOT got skin cancer?

    Without the sun we wouldn’t have life.

    Is it possible then, that those who have skin cancer, the sun is offering a healing by bringing out any poisons we have in our bodies?

    With these statistics it is clear to see that cancer rates are increasing and treatments, although they are getting more effective and helping the ‘sufferer’ to live a longer life, are not offering a true healing.

    The cure for cancer has been going on for a long time now and for all the fundraising, campaigns, marathons, coffee and cake mornings, pink bracelets, charities, cancer research facilities and all the donations in the world, has not gotten humanity any closer to finding a cure.

    The quote below, taken from this blog, is by Serge Benhayon, who has been saying we are the creators of all our ills since 1999:

    “Is our evolutionary path one that leads us to end up as walking brains or minds whilst our bodies rot from the utter neglect and or denial of their equal if not greater importance?

    Is not the continuous rise in the diagnosis of the many forms of cancer and the widespread growth of diabetes a clear sign that something is deeply wrong in the way we choose to live, and more so – in the intelligence that does not challenge it?

    Serge Benhayon”. An Open Letter to Humanity, p. 162

    Is it possible that whilst we continue to look for a ‘Cure’ for cancer outside of ourselves, we will never find a true Healing?

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13. 
    Tim Bowyer

    March 22, 2017 at 9:35 am

    Crowdfunding for cancer medical treatments seems to be gaining in popularity as the link below shows:

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-38858898

    It says that over £4.5 million was raised in appeals in 2016 compared to £530,000 in 2015.

    People are setting up online sites where others can make donations to pay for their treatment, usually abroad, because the NHS doesn’t offer what they need.

    One oncologist has expressed his concern for this method because he feels that in some cases the patient may be getting treatment that isn’t beneficial to them.

    What about the integrity of the person setting up the fund?
    Is it genuine or is it a way to extort money?

    Why are we keen to donate money to these sites?
    Is it because we may be diagnosed with cancer and we want to be able to pay for our treatment?

    Is this just another way we don’t have to take RESPONSIBILITY for our own choices?

    Is getting others, or indeed, the NHS, to pay for the way we live our everyday lives the truth?

    Is there a way to live our lives that may lessen the possibility of having an illness or dis-ease?

    If we lived a life of true responsibility, is it possible that we wouldn’t need to crowdfund for our treatments?

    Is it possible that, by the way we live our lives, we are the creators of all our illnesses and dis-ease?

    If so, is it possible that by changing the way we live our lives, it would reduce or eliminate any illness or dis-ease?

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14. 
    Ruth Ketnor

    March 28, 2017 at 7:14 pm

    This is a whopper of a blog with jaw dropping statistics… Nearly 1 in every 4 deaths is from cancer.

    So ’tissue organisation is dependent on the ECM (extra cellular matrix) and the microenvironment’.
    If cells are dependant on their microenvironment to be healthy and their environment is in the body we live in, it makes total sense what Simple Living Global is saying.. that if we look after our body, in how we live and take care of ourselves, then our cells would be in an environment that supported them, rather than sending them crazy leading to illness.. cancer.

    This speaks volumes in how much we can help ourselves by taking Responsibility for our own health from how we live.

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15. 
    Shevon Simon

    April 24, 2017 at 7:19 am

    The fact that people diagnosed with anxiety and depression are more likely to die from cancer definitely needs to be looked at.

    I know that researchers have been keen to stress that this link is not evidence that these conditions caused cancer, but if we consider what Mina Bissell is saying – that it is the micro-environment of a cell which determines whether it develops a tumour or not, could it be possible that our emotional state affects our physical state and vice-versa, as all is not flowing harmoniously within?

    What I do know is that when I had depression, I also had many other health problems – from frequent colds to irritable bowel syndrome and extreme hair loss. It has only been because I have made changes in my lifestyle that both the physical and mental health conditions have gone.

    We do need to keep asking questions in order to understand what is really going on and WHY.

    On that note – I thoroughly recommend this game changer article by Simple Living Global on Depression for anyone who is questioning life and our current ill state of health.
    https://simplelivingglobal.com/world-health-day-depression/

    Reply
16. 
    Shevon Simon

    May 4, 2017 at 7:32 am

    Thank you JS for asking such pertinent questions.

    Reading these articles by Simple Living Global have and are certainly opening my eyes, not just to my own life but also what is going on around me including news reports.

    Today – 4th May 2017 – The Guardian report on the rising number of alcohol-related hospital admissions over the last 10 years.

    https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/may/03/baby-boomers-warned-over-alcohol-intake-as-hospital-admissions-soar

    The article also quotes the World Cancer Research Fund who have said that 21,000 cases of cancer in the U.K. could be prevented each year if nobody drank. This includes nearly 12,000 cases of breast cancer.

    If we started with alcohol alone, the number of new cases and deaths would be significantly reduced.

    By starting in one area, so challenging our accepted views about alcohol – could this then lead to us challenging other areas of our lives that we have accepted as normal but are indeed harmful and could be contributing to cancer?

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17. 
    JS

    May 22, 2017 at 4:24 am

    A dear friend told me yesterday he has cancer.

    I am so grateful to be able to share this blog with him so he can look deeper.

    Reply
18. 
    Ruth Ketnor

    May 27, 2017 at 7:42 am

    Fascinating to watch, what a great confirmation Mina Bissell’s scientific presentation is, of what Serge Benhayon has been presenting for years. It’s fantastic that science has has proven the fact that the environment of the cell determines it’s health, so if we are responsible for the environment of the cell by how we choose to live then it seems to me the turn around of cancer statistics are in our hands.. our Responsibility.

    Reply
19. 
    Shevon Simon

    June 12, 2017 at 3:36 am

    Cancer is noted as Africa’s new health burden.

    In this article from Deutsche Welle they state that ‘In many African countries there is still a lack of awareness and treatment methods, but the number of people affected is on the rise.’

    http://www.dw.com/en/cancer-africas-new-health-burden/a-37352696

    World Health Organization advisor, Dangou is quoted as saying that in 2015 there were 530,310 cancer deaths in Africa and that this is recognised as a ‘worrying public health problem.’

    The rise is attributed to

    Aging populations
    Changing lifestyles
    Unhealthy diets
    Lack of physical exercise
    Excessive use of alcohol and tobacco

    The situation and lack of resources for treatment are so dire that in Kenya, cancer patients can find themselves waiting up to a year for treatment.

    70% of all cancer deaths worldwide occur in developing countries which lack medical facilities and medical personnel.

    Whilst the resources for early detection and treatment are highly important EQUALLY we would benefit from asking the questions posed by Simple Living Global here in this blog, so that we can start to look at why we are getting cancer in the first place.

    This in itself, would cut down the enormous pressures, including the huge financial burden, countries are facing in dealing with the rapidly rising rates of cancer diagnoses.

    Reply
20. 
    Bina Pattel

    June 27, 2017 at 6:12 pm

    I was at a very busy London hospital for cancer patients today and it was the size that blew me away. This confirms that so many people now have cancer and this is just one hospital in one city. I know there are more in London.

    What I observed was how given up many looked and understandably so, but also how most were on their own. Having got the details of how the process works from the moment the medics find cancerous cells to the surgery or chemotherapy stage, there are numerous hospital visits.

    How many have relatives, friends or anyone who genuinely can spare the time and be there to support?

    What are the thoughts that must be going through the minds of those waiting?
    What do they truly feel being alone with no one to talk to during this difficult time?
    WHY is it that we do not make time for those who really need support when diagnosed with cancer?

    Once upon a time the C word was barely spoken about and today we have a huge dedicated hospital just for cancer patients.
    Is this telling us things have got worse and are not going to improve?

    Whilst the staff are doing their best it is clear that they themselves need extra support, but with such busy schedules and not seeing self care as priority, it does not get addressed and this was obvious to me.

    WHY is it that we never seem to think that our carers who do an amazing job need some help to keep their vitality levels on track?

    Reply
21. 
    Shevon Simon

    July 1, 2017 at 3:40 am

    Cancer is a very serious life threatening disease. In reading about cancer treatments, both nausea and vomiting are serious side effects of cancer therapies.

    https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/treatment/side-effects/nausea/nausea-pdq?cid=eb_govdel

    We don’t tend to really look at any illness and disease and its effects and treatments unless we are directly affected through a diagnosis or we know someone who has.

    If we are to contemplate the fact that most illness and disease occurs due to the way that we live and our lifestyle choices, this would tell us that most of the suffering that we experience as human beings can be abated and even prevented and thus deeper questions need to be asked of all of us –

    Why do we choose to live in a way that is deeply harming to our health and well-being when life could be so different?

    Is there more to illness and disease that we are yet to discover?

    Reply
22. 
    Ruth Ketnor

    July 8, 2017 at 7:21 am

    I certainly don’t know what goes on when having chemotherapy. I had a friend go through it last year, I saw and heard of the side effects that goes with it which seemed a huge onslaught to the body on top of the strain it was under having the disease.

    I usually get side effects from taking any medication, how it must feel to have such a strong concoction of chemicals in the body must be pretty horrendous to go through.

    This blog gives us the option of approaching cancer differently, offering an awareness in how we choose to live, the quality we live, that could be contributing to our health problems.. to cancer, which is so needed in our world right now. Thank you Simple Living Global.

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23. 
    Bina Pattel

    August 1, 2017 at 6:11 pm

    My husband asked our friend today why they were wearing disposable gloves to empty some tablets into a container and then pop them into the mouth. The response was that these cancer drugs are so toxic they must not touch the skin.

    It got us thinking – what on earth must they be doing to our delicate insides which we all know inter-connect and work together?
    How disturbing must this be for our body and what an assault on the natural systems.

    All this daily excess drug taking to kill off cancer cells but what about the numerous side effects?

    We got given a long list of what this person is currently going through and it confirms that the body is well and truly suffering as a result of taking these drugs to fight the cancer.

    Reply
    1. 
       JS

       August 8, 2017 at 4:32 am

       It’s interesting what you say about those toxic cancer drugs. My friend was telling me of a similar experience – wearing gloves to dispense, then filling the mouth with water before putting the tablet in to reduce the chances of it touching and burning the tongue, then drinking loads of water to stop it burning a hole in the stomach (which happens).

       And the damage caused by the radiation blasts on the tumour – an open wound in the body.

       The brutality and toxicity of the treatment is astounding – what we put the body through to kill or abate the cancer.

       And the cocktail of drugs to then manage the symptoms: pain killers, anti nausea, laxatives for the constipation caused by the pain killers… on goes the list in a cycle. So many chemicals for the organs to process and clear.

       And yet it has become very normalised, all this: what we accept as part of holding on to life.

       Reply
       1. 
          Jane Keep

          August 19, 2017 at 5:36 pm

          And in talking with Palliative Care doctors and nurses, they know this is the case and find it difficult at times working in that environment where it is normal to offer chemo, knowing the damage chemo does to the body, and that there is little or no guarantee it will change the cancer, or extend the persons life, and if it does it can extend life to such a poor quality as the chemo drugs are so strong they destroy other parts of the body.

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24. 
    Jane Keep

    August 19, 2017 at 5:39 pm

    In the news today another article linking cancer and lifestyle – this one particularly says that 13 types of cancer are linked to a persons weight – thats a massive indicator that the way we are living is harming:

    “Scots buy junk food containing 110 tonnes of sugar a day on special offer deals, Cancer Research UK has said. The charity said that equated to 4.3 million chocolate bars or three million cans of cola. It has called for new laws to limit promotions of sugar-rich junk food, which it said accounted for about 40% of food expenditure in Scottish homes. The Scottish government said it was engaging with retailers on action to offer healthier choices. The UK government’s department of health described current advertising restrictions on junk food as “among the toughest in the world”. Cancer Research UK said Scotland was in the grip of an obesity epidemic and that 13 types of cancer, including bowel, breast and pancreatic, were linked to a person’s weight.” http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-40872944

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25. 
    JS

    August 30, 2017 at 5:45 pm

    A terminally ill woman in the US has been awarded millions in punitive damages for not being warned of the risks of ovarian cancer from talcum powder use.

    I was reading about the studies done on whether there is a link between talcum powder and ovary cancer.

    When we look for these reasons, do they bring us peace? Do they present the full picture?

    Do we stop there, or is there more to see?

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26. 
    Jane Keep

    August 31, 2017 at 4:25 pm

    A new cancer drug in the news today – £367,000….Whilst I wouldn’t want to stop treatments going forward in any way I do wonder where the NHS can find the funding for this when the NHS doesn’t have enough staff or resources at the moment.

    “The US has approved the first treatment to redesign a patient’s own immune system so it attacks cancer. The regulator – the US Food and Drug Administration – said its decision was a “historic” moment and medicine was now “entering a new frontier”. The company Novartis is charging $475,000 (£367,000) for the “living drug” therapy, which leaves 83% of people free of a type of blood cancer. Doctors in the UK said the announcement was an exciting step forward.
    The living drug is tailor-made to each patient, unlike conventional therapies such as surgery or chemotherapy. It is called CAR-T and is made by extracting white blood cells from the patient’s blood. The cells are then genetically reprogrammed to seek out and kill cancer.The cancer-killers are then put back inside the patient and once they find their target they multiply.”

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-41094990

    Reply
27. 
    Bina Pattel

    September 7, 2017 at 3:20 am

    Following another visit yesterday to a London hospital with over 40 consultation rooms, all for cancer patients, it is a worrying sign that things are getting worse.

    Many in the huge waiting area were on their own and it makes me wonder how they must be feeling with no support or someone to hold their hand.

    I questioned how are the actual staff feeling and what is their level of self care and how are their vitality levels on a daily basis?

    Are they receiving the support they truly need or is it what we hear in the news – super long hours, crazy shifts and low pay?

    Reply
    1. 
       JS

       September 10, 2017 at 7:18 am

       “Many in the huge waiting area were on their own and it makes me wonder how they must be feeling with no support or someone to hold their hand.”

       This makes me wonder whether we are taking this illness and its impact too lightly. Has it become so much the norm that you just pootle along to the hospital for your cancer appointment as if you were going down to the dentist?

       My friend went for some of his treatment by himself and on one of the days got sent to get a prescription at a far away place. He didn’t realise til he got there that he was feeling hugely fragile and he collapsed there with noone to support him but strangers (who were lovely).

       Having someone ‘to hold your hand’ feels huge and the way it is written in your post, Bina, means I can feel how much it matters and how much it means – to help those around us in that way, even if they say they can manage by themselves.

       Reply
28. 
    JS

    September 10, 2017 at 7:32 am

    A family friend has aggressive Leukaemia.

    She was initially feeling okay about it – philosophical. However, the treatment is so intrusive and unrelenting that she is now suffering hugely, mentally and emotionally.

    The constant injections and tubes. The fight to find a vein. Shaving her hair off. The painful treatment. No rest. An unlikely success rate.

    It brings me back to the question of Why?
    Someone is seriously ill – ill to their blood and their bones.
    Why do we fight so hard to hold on to some more months of life when there is zero quality and so much anguish and pain?

    Are we given and considering the choices in a balanced way about whether or not to go forward with all the treatments in these sorts of cases?
    Or is it a conveyor belt of ‘this is just what we do’?

    Life at any cost?

    Reply
29. 
    Shevon Simon

    October 2, 2017 at 7:51 am

    Cancer is one of our most deadliest diseases and people are being diagnosed at rapid rates.

    A few months ago I saw an ad in a newspaper related to cancer. The picture struck me as it did not match the seriousness of the subject matter. It was of two people having a play fight in mud.

    Would we not be wise to spend the thousands of pounds on advertising campaigns like these, on educational programs on lifestyle choices?

    Fighting cancer or anything else has never worked so what if we adopted a different approach and sought to understand the disease and earnestly find out what its root cause is.?

    Would we not all benefit if we pooled all of our resources together to find out why we have this and so many other diseases, instead of wasting money on pointless advertisements?

    Reply
30. 
    Tim Bowyer

    November 1, 2017 at 8:10 am

    An article on CNN, 24th October 2017, talks about how a Judge overturns a record verdict in a court case against a multinational pharmaceutical company.
    http://edition.cnn.com/2017/10/23/health/johnson-and-johnson-talcum-powder-trial-verdict-overturned/index.html

    Judges in two separate cases have ruled in favour of the pharmaceutical giant, overturning large financial judgments awarded to plaintiffs who believed some of the company’s products caused their ovarian cancer.

    One woman from California was awarded $417 million.
    Another woman from Alabama was awarded $72 million.

    In the California case, which was decided by a jury, the woman testified that she had been using talcum powder as a regular part of her feminine hygiene routine for more than 50 years since she was 11. She developed ovarian cancer and stopped using the powder in 2016 after she read a news story about another woman who used it and had ovarian cancer.

    The woman was granted an expedited trial as her medical situation was grave and she has since died. The jury awarded her $70 million in compensatory damages and $347 million in punitive damages, the largest verdict to date in the cases that have been heard against the company on these products.

    A Los Angeles Supreme Court Judge reversed the jury’s ruling and granted the company’s motions for a new trial.

    The judge said, “There was an insufficiency of the evidence as to the causation as to both defendants”, and ruled that there was an error in law occurring at trial and misconduct of the jury, which led to excessive damages.

    In the case of the $72 million award, the verdict was reversed due to ‘jurisdictional reasons’.

    The science on talc and its relationship to ovarian cancer has produced a mix of results over the years. The possible link may have first surfaced in a 1971 study that mentioned a relationship after a scientist found talc particles in ovarian tumours.

    Since then, there has been what the court describes as “an ongoing debate” in the scientific and medical community as to whether talc usage may cause ovarian cancer.

    The International agency for Research on Cancer, part of the World Health Organisation (WHO), classifies the genital use of talc-based body products as “possibly carcinogenic to humans.”

    The US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention does not list talc as an ovarian cancer risk.

    Some studies have seen a modest risk.

    The US National Toxicology Program, part of the US Department of Health and Human Services, has not fully reviewed talc as a possible carcinogen, according to the American Cancer Society, which says it is not clear whether the products increase a person’s cancer risk.

    Some talc-based powders carry a warning label that mentions the possible risk of ovarian cancer after frequent applications in the female genital area. Several talc-based powders do not.

    At least 4,800 separate cases are pending against this multinational pharmaceutical company in courtrooms across the country, with several based in California.

    There are millions of women and men that use talc-based products but only a small percentage are claiming they have cancer because of talc.

    The evidence that talc-based products cause cancer is very small but yet there are thousands of cases brought against companies that manufacture these products – Why is this?

    Is it possible that companies like this are seen as an easy target with lots of money?

    Is it possible that human emotion became a factor with the jury’s decision?

    Is it possible that the jury had already decided that pharmaceutical giant were guilty and wanted them to pay?

    We have a tendency to always want a reason why we have cancer, whether its talc in this case, the sun, the microwave or any other ‘something’.

    But, is it possible that cancer, like any other illness or disease, is caused by ourselves?

    Is it possible that cancer or any other illness or disease is caused by the way we live our everyday lives?

    If we saw illness and disease in this way, is it possible that we would take more responsibility for ourselves?

    Reply
31. 
    Shevon Simon

    November 8, 2017 at 5:12 am

    Thank you for posting this super important comment Tim. I was left aghast reading it and felt compelled to read it a few times to comprehend the enormity of what you were reporting.

    How can we really blame talc for cancer?

    Is this a form of reductionism?

    When we reduce something to a particular ‘answer’ we are not assessing the whole circumstances and so we are reducing and limiting our view of what the situation is about and how it has arisen.

    What about the millions of women and men that use talc based products and are not diagnosed with cancer? If talc is the cause, how do we then explain those that don’t get cancer?

    Could it be possible that there are lifestyle factors that cause cancer, that if we looked deeper we would find in all of those diagnosed, but we are not yet considering deep enough what these might be?

    Could the answers be here in this blog on Cancer by Simple Living Global?

    Is it too scary to really contemplate this because if we did we might see that we could actually make huge changes in this area?

    Reply
32. 
    Shevon Simon

    December 23, 2017 at 10:33 am

    I saw a sign today about Cancer.

    It said ‘Let’s go through it together’.

    Have we ever questioned why we have to go through it at all?

    Reply
33. 
    Simple Living Global

    December 29, 2017 at 6:42 pm

    The Week – Issue 1153
    2 December 2017

    The NHS is to start offering tests for lung cancer in supermarket car parks, in a bid to improve rates of diagnosis.

    The scheme is designed to reach patients who are reluctant to go to their GPs or for tests in hospital.

    Under a pilot scheme smokers and former smokers were invited to undergo checks in shopping centres where many were given on the spot CT scans. The trial led to a quadrupling of the number of cases of lung cancer being discovered. The scheme is being rolled out more widely along with other initiatives, including home testing for bowel cancer.

    What is this telling us?

    Why are our health systems looking at ways to get us diagnosed?

    Is it because we are not taking full responsibility for our health?

    Is it because we cannot be bothered to go through all the medical process?

    Is it because we don’t want to know that our choice to smoke may have led to lung cancer?

    Is it because we are afraid of the diagnosis and the consequences that come thereafter?

    What is it about us that will get a test done in a shopping centre but not go through the normal medical route of seeing our GP first?

    Is it because we really do not take our body seriously enough to give it the full attention it deserves?

    Is it because we do know that our choices have been harmfull to our body and we don’t want to be told that?

    Could a blog like this and all the comments thus far, educate and support us to gain a deeper understanding of Cancer, so that we can make informed choices about our lifestyle?

    Reply
34. 
    Shevon Simon

    February 4, 2018 at 10:29 am

    Today is World Cancer Day – 4th February 2018

    Statistics were published this week that show that prostate cancer has become the biggest killer and has overtaken breast cancer for the first time.

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-42890405

    In the UK alone, there were 11,819 deaths from prostate cancer in 2015 compared to 11,442 deaths from breast cancer.

    This now means that prostate cancer is the 3rd biggest cancer killer in the UK.

    Experts warn that treatments for prostate cancer are trailing behind that of breast cancer and the reason given for the increase in deaths is linked to population growth and an aging population.

    Could we ask whether there is more to the increase in deaths from prostate cancer than an aging population or because there are more men?

    What if there is something about our lifestyle choices or even the way that we are raising our boys that leads to prostate cancer?

    Are the questions that Simple Living Global are asking in this blog, questions that we seriously need to consider?

    Reply
35. 
    Bina Pattel

    February 4, 2018 at 10:31 am

    TODAY IS WORLD CANCER DAY – 4 February 2018

    OVARIAN CANCER – AGE 12
    Daily Mail – 27 January 2018

    Dear World

    What is going on?

    Are we ready to answer the questions in this blog?

    Can we get more awareness from this forensic blog?

    Are we going to wait for the scholars to tell us?
    Are we going to take action and demand we get answers?
    Are we going to take note of what Mina Bissell – scientist is saying?
    Are we going to just accept this news story and move on and say nothing?

    Are we going to wait for MORE stories like this before we do anything?

    Are we going to continue to find solutions for Cancer OR are we going to get to the root cause of WHY someone gets Cancer in the first place?

    Reply
36. 
    Simple Living Global

    February 14, 2018 at 5:56 am

    iPaper 13 February 2018
    The headlines say ” Cancer-fighting nanobots ‘starve’ tumours in mice”

    Nanometer sized “robots” have been successfully used to deliver drugs to precision-treat tumours for the first time in mammals.

    Yes we could all agree this is a major step towards the implementation of nanobot drug delivery in medicine and could pave the way for delivering toxic chemotherapy drugs with reduced side effects.

    So for those of us who may just know nano is tiny – a nanometre is ONE THOUSAND-MILLIONTH OF A METRE.

    This confirms we as humans are clever and can create anything we want.

    So how come we can create an illness like cancer and find solutions like toxic chemotherapy and then another solution to reduce the side effects of this drug but not find out HOW we got the tumour and the bad cells in the first place?

    What if we started to question things in a different way and stopped searching for solutions which we all know are not actually dealing with WHY we got cancer in the first place?

    What if scientists started to study people who are living truly healthy lifestyles and do not have cancer, diabetes, heart or kidney disease on their radar?

    Reply
37. 
    Shevon Simon

    February 15, 2018 at 8:33 pm

    More on Cancer…

    New research published on 14th February 2018 states ‘ultra processed foods linked to cancer’.

    https://www.nhs.uk/news/cancer/ultra-processed-foods-linked-cancer/

    Researchers have been cautious to say that ultra processed foods cause cancer, but have confirmed that there is a link. The exact reason is unknown, but one hypothesis is that these foods are high in fat, sugar and salt.

    Simple Living Global talk about the Fat, Sugar, Salt combination in this blog on Fast Foods and Junk Food https://simplelivingglobal.com/fast-food-junk-food/

    Another hypothesis refers to the various additives in these foods.

    Another is that people who eat fast food tend to exercise less, smoke and take in less calories.

    Whatever the reason there is clearly a causal link between what we eat and the formation of cancer and this is something that we have known for a long time.

    Why has it taken a large scale study of 7 year study and 100,000 people to confirm what we already know?

    Perhaps the call to find out more, as in why we eat the foods that we do and what else in our lifestyles is contributing to cancer is not yet there and as such enmasse are we ready to hear the truth?

    Thank God for this website as those of us that are asking more questions will come across this website and this blog which holds the answers.

    Reply
38. 
    JS

    February 23, 2018 at 4:47 pm

    Listening to someone talking about cancer this week, there is a lot of anger around it.

    A sense of unfairness, fighting for survival and, understandably, of wishing it away.

    It is very interesting to read this blog and consider the different perspective that is being offered – that there may be more here for us to see.

    Reply
39. 
    Bina Pattel

    April 16, 2018 at 6:37 pm

    Daily Mail – 14 April 2018

    A 55 year old had jaw cancer, which destroyed the mouth and lower jaw so they could not eat, drink or talk.

    With pioneering technology a complex frame was constructed around the face and attached to underlying bones. This is a confirmation of the medical advances man has made and we can see the results.

    So on some level we have made ‘huge strides’ as this news story says, but have we really evolved as a species here on earth?

    If we are so Intelligent how come we have not yet worked out WHY we get cancer in the first place?

    WHY have we not yet worked out how to eradicate the mutating of cells that create a tumour?

    Are we really on the front foot when it comes to research?

    Could we say honestly that making true advancement would require us to consider another way?

    A living way that looks at the whole and not just a part of our lineal way of thinking?

    This blog and the numerous questions it presents is asking us all to at least consider that the way we are choosing to live may have a hand in why we get cancer in the first place?

    More and more we are now hearing how lifestyle choices play a big factor in our health so is it time to read more and more of the blogs on this true health and well-being website for humanity?

    Next – I would say I am a living science and so it is worth reporting this.

    When I got a tumour and had to have an organ removed, I realised that it was a stop moment and a wake up call for me as my lifestyle choices were deeply disregarding and neglectful to my body.

    In fact, I had trashed my body by ignoring it for over 4 decades.

    Step by step with the support of Universal Medicine, I started to look at my lifestyle choices and get real and get honest about how I was living.
    Every choice could be to harm my body or choose something that was not harmfull.

    Roll on 10 years later and it would be true to say that the tumour was created by me and I am certain it was because of how I was living. The very fact that I have perfect blood pressure now, do not look or feel my current age of 56 and have not needed my GP for anything since that surgery speaks volumes.

    Our world would really benefit if we at least started to consider people like me who are living evidence – real life, walking the walk and talking the talk saying that there is another way and it comes down to all the choices we are making.

    Reply
40. 
    Ruth Ketnor

    May 30, 2018 at 12:03 pm

    The Times
    24 May 2018

    Cut out alcohol and bacon to bring down cancer risk.

    Sticking to water and avoiding alcohol and bacon could help reduce the risk of cancer by up to 40 per cent, according to experts.

    Eating and drinking properly are essential to protect against the disease, they said after an overview of hundreds of studies involving more than 51 Million people.

    The World Cancer Research Fund ( WCRF ) urged people not to cherry-pick their recommendations because following the whole package is more important than any one habit or food.

    Updating guidance for the first time in a decade, the fund said that the link between obesity and cancer had grown stronger, leading them to advise against fizzy drinks and fast food, including processed meat, for the first time.

    There seems to be a very clear message here –

    Alcohol is hugely detrimental to our health. It is a poison to our body as Simple Living Global presents in this blog on Alcohol
    https://simplelivingglobal.com/the-real-truth-about-alcohol/

    Do we need to look at why we are choosing to put our health at such risk by drinking this poison?

    Why do we go for the fizzy drinks, the processed meats and the fast food?

    Why do we like them?

    Do we really like them?

    Do we need to make a real commitment to oursleves and our health by not taking short cuts or only doing the bits we like with our diet and self care?

    Could the ‘whole package’ be how we live on a daily basis, how we care for ourselves, the choices we make?

    Would this lead us to building a loving foundation in our life, with consistency in how we are caring for ourselves on a daily basis?https://simplelivingglobal.com/building-your-foundation/

    Is it possible that making simple changes would bring about lasting changes for our health and well-being? https://simplelivingglobal.com/keep-it-simple/

    Could it be that our health is in our hands, our choices, our Responsibility?

    Reply
41. 
    Shevon Simon

    June 25, 2018 at 8:59 pm

    Are campaigns the answer?

    Dying our hair a certain colour?

    Wearing a colour for one day?

    Or even skinny-dipping?

    Will any of these activities make a change in this cancer epidemic?

    We may use all of these activities to raise funds and thus fuel more research but if we are honest, is the research really bringing us the goods?

    By this I mean, is it bringing us the true answers as to why we are getting diagnosed with this deadly disease at an exponential rate?

    Just yesterday I read that 1 in 2 people born after 1960 in the UK will be diagnosed with some kind of cancer in their lifetime.

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-44548534

    Cancer is the modern day plague.

    Do we just accept that we will be one of the statistics or do we really and truly ask from deep within – what is going on as something clearly is not right here.

    Reply
42. 
    Tim bowyer

    July 8, 2018 at 8:24 am

    An article in The Week magazine, 9th June 2018, says that ‘Obesity linked to 12 cancers’.

    According to a major analysis of the causes of the disease, obesity plays a role in as many as twelve types of cancer.

    The report by the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) found that while smoking remains the biggest cause of cancer, it may soon be overtaken by obesity in many countries, including the UK.

    A decade ago, the WCRF released a similar report, which identified seven cancers linked to obesity.

    Now it says the evidence points to twelve:

    • Liver
    • Ovaries
    • Prostate (advanced)
    • Stomach
    • Mouth and throat
    • Bowel
    • Breast (post menopause)
    • Gall Bladder
    • Kidney
    • Oesophagus
    • Pancreas
    • Womb

    The report says that up to four in ten cancer cases are preventable, and urges non-smokers to adopt a ten-point health plan, which includes cutting down on bacon and processed meats, being physically active and reducing alcohol intake.

    This report says that up to four in ten cases of cancer are preventable – is it possible that this figure could be actually higher?

    Is it possible that all cancer cases are preventable?

    Is it possible that our lifestyle, and our lifestyle alone, is what causes cancer?

    Now when we talk about cancer due to smoking, it is not said that four in ten cases of smoking related cancer are due to smoking, it is very well established that smoking causes cancer.

    No one is forced to smoke. It is our own individual choice and therefore it is part of our lifestyle.

    The same applies to the fact that no one is forced to eat processed meats, no one is forced to not be physically active and no one is forced to drink alcohol.

    These are all our personal choices and once again, this makes it our own individual lifestyle.

    So, I ask the question again… Is it possible that all cancer cases are preventable?

    If that is so, do we need to ask the question that, if all cancer cases are preventable because they are caused by our lifestyle, is it possible that all illnesses and diseases are preventable because they are caused by our lifestyle?

    What if this was the case?

    Would we be more responsible in how we start to live our lives?

    Would we start to take more responsibility for our lifestyle choices?

    Reply
43. 
    Bina Pattel

    July 15, 2018 at 7:42 am

    https://www.standard.co.uk/news/health/47bn-damages-for-women-who-claim-talcum-powder-caused-ovarian-cancer-a3886541.html

    Evening Standard – 13 July 2018

    This is big news because it involves big money.

    A giant pharmaceutical company has had to pay out $4.7 billion to women who claim that talcum powder is what caused the ovarian cancer. They plan to appeal because they say there was not carcinogen in its products.

    The US Food and Drug Administration commissioned a study of talc samples in 2009 to 2010 and found no asbestos.

    In 2017, a jury awarded $417 million to a woman, but the verdict was later overturned.

    What is this amount of money in our news headlines going to say to others out there?

    Do we need to be asking more questions here, or do we agree because a jury made the decision for these women?

    Are the medical experts giving us the bigger picture, or are they just telling us the content had something that was carcinogenic?

    By that I mean, do we focus on the ingredients only or take a look at the whole – the lifestyle choices of these women and how it got to the point of ovarian cancer?

    This forensic blog is presenting a lot of questions for us all to consider and we all know that when something is not right, we have a tendency to blame someone or something.

    If we listen to scientist Mina Bissell, can we agree that our environment plays a huge part in cancer forming cells?

    Can we really ignore this immutable fact?

    When we listen to what others are saying and doing, would it be wise to consider the whole and that means all parts and not just focus on one thing?

    I know from lived experience that when I had my tumour, I got medical help and done my best not to blame me or others or anything, but took the time to look at my life in detail and the choices I was making that contributed to such illness.

    Today my lifestyle choices confirm to me that everything matters and our daily choices contribute to healing or harming our own body and there is nothing outside of me that makes that happen, because it all comes from my choices.

    Reply
44. 
    Tim bowyer

    September 15, 2018 at 8:55 pm

    An article from CNN, 12th September 2018, says that ’Cancer will kill nearly 10 million people this year’.

    The number of people around the world who have cancer is rapidly growing with 18.1 million cases and 9.6 million deaths in 2018 alone, researchers estimate in a new report.

    By the end of the century, cancer will be the No.1 killer globally and the single biggest barrier to increasing our life expectancy, according to the report by the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer.

    The researchers used data from 185 countries, looking at all the places in the body cancer can occur and taking a deeper look at 36 types.

    The number of cancer cases is increasing for a number of reasons, the report says: The global population is growing, and more people means more cancer. The population is also aging, and cancer risks grow as you age. The numbers also look worse because in many countries, stroke and heart disease deaths are declining.

    According to the report, the top five common cancers are lung, colorectal, stomach, liver and breast.

    Lung cancer is the most deadly with 1.8 million deaths, colorectal 881,000 deaths, stomach 783,000 deaths, liver 782,000 deaths and breast 627,000 deaths.

    The article says that in countries with strong economies, the number of cancers coming from poverty and infections has declined, but those associated with what researchers call lifestyle choices, such as obesity and drinking, have gone up.

    10 million people lost to cancer this year alone – Is this not a very important wake up call for all of humanity?

    Cancer has been on our radar for a very long time and yet we are no nearer to ‘curing’ it than we have ever been.

    Is it possible that we are looking in the wrong places?

    Is it possible that we should stop looking for an outside reason as to why we get cancer and start to look inwards?

    This article already alludes to the fact that cancers relating to obesity and drinking are going up because they are lifestyle choices.

    Is it possible that all cancers are caused by our lifestyle choices?

    Is it possible that all illness and disease is caused by our lifestyle choices?

    Is it possible that illness and disease doesn’t come to us, it will always come from us, due to the way we live our lives?

    Is it possible that the reason no one has ever found a cure for cancer, is because we have been so intent on looking outside of ourselves for the answers, spending billions of dollars on research and we have never considered the possibility that it could be as simple as changing the way we live our lives?

    Is it possible that we have never considered this possibility because if we did, that would mean we would have to take responsibility for ourselves?

    Is it possible that we would rather blame the sun, the microwave, the alcohol, the tobacco, the food or whatever other reason we can think of, because that is so much easier than being accountable and responsible for all of our choices?

    Reply
45. 
    Shevon Simon

    November 2, 2018 at 9:42 pm

    Harvard T.H. Chan – 22 October 2018

    https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/hsph-in-the-news/organic-food-cancer-risk/

    A new study indicates that adults who most frequently consumed organic fruits, vegetables, dairy products, meat and other foods had 25% fewer cancers when compared with adults who never ate organic food.

    Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health nutrition experts caution that the study has limitations and that more research is needed to confirm the results.

    What if whether we eat organic foods or not, is not a key factor in whether any of us are diagnosed with cancer?

    Is it possible that we are constantly looking outside of ourselves to determine why we are sick – but the answers lie within?

    What if all of our lifestyle choices and not just the foods that we eat are the cause?

    What if any emotions that we frequently experience and hold onto are part of those lifestyle choices?

    If we were to accept that we can reduce the risk of cancer by eating only organic foods, does it then absolve us of the Responsibility of asking more questions about our lives and being more open to other changes we could be making?

    Do these kinds of research findings need to be viewed with caution, so that we focus more on looking at our whole lifestyle and the daily choices we are making, that lead us to get sick?

    Reply
46. 
    Bina Pattel

    January 4, 2019 at 9:59 am

    As the author of this blog, I had at the time of writing not been in direct contact with a close family member who had cancer.

    However, this is no longer the case. This comment is on my flight home from India after a 911 to see my mother for the last time.

    Here is the laser story –

    My mother developed some signs that were not obvious or clear to any UK medic and as a serial hospital visitor with some kind of problem, we were constantly going for appointments but not once did we even consider that there maybe an underlying dis-ease developing rapidly and going under the radar, so to speak.

    I was on some level, on the front foot saying SOMETHING IS NOT RIGHT.

    My sharp and savvy mother was missing things, forgetting things to the point where she was for sure struggling with her memory.

    Of course my first thing was dementia and her medical records happen to state that it had been noted that signs where there a few years ago. But that was it and nothing more was explored.

    Seeing her every week without fail, I noticed a rapid decline in her health and saw a woman whose face looked like it had dropped on one side. I was reporting everything back to my husband and again saying SOMETHING IS NOT RIGHT.

    I was saying things like ‘this is not my mum’.
    What I observed was a sensitive, fragile and very vulnerable woman who looked lost and needed support.
    I did my best and I know she cherished the moments we had together and in particular the few months prior to her diagnosis.

    She was convinced herself something was not right and wanted to go to India and said they would help her there.
    I cannot begin to imagine what she must have been going through and how she continued to keep going before her flight back to her homeland.

    The locals in the village who know her of course noticed something was not right and in particular her memory was going, to the point where she did not know my dad’s name, let alone her children.

    They took her to A & E in the big town where a brain scan was done.
    The tumour was confirmed and she was immediately a patient in a neuro-science hospital, which she told me on the phone before surgery was ‘the best hospital’. That was the last time I spoke to her and those were her last words to me.

    With her limited vocabulary she knew she was in the right hands.

    Things move fast in India as you pay for all medical treatment. The tumour was removed and my mum never came out of recovery. So they made the decision to put her back in theatre and re-open and remove the skull. They show relatives the actual tumour and of course I got the photos –
    A mass ball of blood and tissue that looks configured and structured in a way like it is holding a lot of poison.

    This tumour went off for analysis and what was interesting for me to see was how others at this stage said it could be benign as they needed proof from the experts to confirm this huge tumour was not cancerous.

    All but myself were living in hope and absolutely not accepting the fact that this was so serious that nothing was going to bring her back. To me it was simple to see and very obvious.

    In fact, I had sensed something back in the UK and made sure I stayed close to her and supported her to the best of my ability, in the knowing she could be facing her end of life. Whilst I did not know the details, I did feel the fast decline in her memory loss, weight loss and other things and that she was not going to be coming back to her home in England.

    There were moments of tears and feelings of loss and sadness. It was like I had already started the grieving process before she left and it was like being on the front foot. I found it strange that others were planning chemotherapy for her after she recovers from surgery and her dates to come to return to UK.

    Two weeks passed in hospital and the results came back as Stage 4 Glioblastoma.
    So for me this was not a surprise as I knew it had to be something big.

    As a regular internet researcher I accessed much on this type of cancer and somehow did not believe or take on board everything about survival rates that I had read.

    My sense of what was happening and going to happen was strong and I stuck with it.

    That meant getting visas and booking a flight during Christmas week to travel to India, my first time in 50 years.

    Nothing was saying leave it and don’t go.

    I felt the impulse and that there was a purpose to this trip, so I got the support I needed from others and went to see my dying mother.

    What I noticed more than anything else was the absolute lack of acceptance.
    My mother was lying in a bed with a full time young nurse on stand by. A drip through her nose and confirmation from the hospital that she would never talk, walk or eat again.

    She was in the house she built on the land my father had when he was a child.
    4 doors along her mother’s parents lived and she was born there.

    What I know beyond any doubt is she wanted to be back in her homeland and her insistence to go to India was because she already knew something we had all not been aware of.

    Stage 4 brain cancer and unable to open her eyes, smile, talk or do anything. A drip feed through the nose and 3 weeks later still in the same position confirms to me this is end of life now.
    Yet relatives and all those visiting were talking, some shouting and saying get up we are going shopping or to the temple.

    Incredible really. When I was asked how she is I just stated the truth and kept it simple.
    The other thing is at times there would be some tears and I was told to stop. This felt wrong to me.
    I was told that was not strong and my mother would suffer if I cried.
    Of course I took no notice of anyone.

    So how did this woman full of character and quite famous in her own little world get stage 4 brain cancer that wiped her out within 4 months?

    Questions need to be asked and not just left as poor thing, bad luck and blaming God, which some of us have a habit of doing.

    Did her choices in some way contribute to the ill in her brain that formed such a large mass?

    Why the brain and not another part of her body and why such an aggressive advanced tumour?

    I knew my mum very well and we were very close and I have known for a long time how she put up with things in her life and never expressed what she truly felt. She was taken from a village life in India at the age of 16 in 1956 to arrive in UK alone and marry a man she had never met before.

    What if it was not the truth for her to be in England as she constantly craved her homeland?

    What if she shut down the love in her heart and found a way to protect herself?

    What if her true expression as a woman in some was was not communicated?

    I feel the what if questions have to be considered with all illness and disease, not just cancer.

    The video link on this article by the scientist Mina Bissell cannot just be ignored or negated – there is something there for us all to consider

    I just know that a mass does not just suddenly appear from nothing.
    It has to be the end result of something that was not natural to her true state of being.

    Reply
47. 
    Shevon Simon

    January 6, 2019 at 8:22 pm

    Independent – 21 December 2018

    UK

    https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/ovarian-cancer-diagnosis-too-late-treatment-symptoms-test-women-health-a8693891.html

    One in Five Ovarian Cancer Patients Diagnosed Too Late for Treatment, New Research Says

    Delayed diagnoses for ovarian cancer are very common due to failure to recognise symptoms, lack of GP knowledge on the subject and delays in acquiring the right diagnostic tests says charity Target Ovarian Cancer.

    They say this can result in many women only reaching hospital cancer specialists when their cancer is already too severe to be treated. Patients who receive an ovarian cancer diagnosis at a later stage may be unable to endure what is described as the invasive surgery and chemotherapy required for treatment.

    This can lead to women having no choice about the treatment they receive and being faced with the prospect of having to receive palliative or end of life care, the charity says.

    We have been aware for over 20 years that survival from ovarian cancer in the UK is poor in comparison with many developed countries.
    Andy Nordin – Consultant Gynaecological Oncologist, East Kent Gynaecological Centre and President of the British Gynaecological Cancer Society

    Many of health problems seem to be a mystery to us in terms of how they have occurred.

    Whilst we are very good at trying to ‘fight’ these diseases – what if we considered lifestyle factors as part of or the sole cause for all diseases including cancer?

    Would this make us all more responsible?

    Would it enable us to ask questions about our lives and the way that we are living?

    Is it possible that our health is in our own hands and that we would understand the root cause of any disease if we were open to lifestyle factors being a contributory cause?

    We often look at lifestyle factors being just about smoking, drinking and drug taking – but what if having daily late nights is a lifestyle factor?

    What if overdoing it and working ourselves into the ground is a lifestyle factor?

    What if we do not ever stop to self-care?

    What if we are highly emotional about life – could that be a lifestyle factor?

    There are many things about our daily lives that make up a lifestyle.

    Is it possible that if we did consider our lives as a whole and took responsibility for our true health and well-being and the way that we conduct our lives, we would see a dramatic decrease on the burdens on our health services?

    Would then the cause of many illnesses and diseases no longer be a mystery?

    Reply
48. 
    Ruth Ketnor

    January 23, 2019 at 4:03 pm

    Daily Mail – 1st December 2018 page 43

    Don’t stick your head in the sand – see your GP ASAP!

    Around 17,000 people are dying annually because of their cancers being picked up too late.

    According to a review of the past 20 years of cancer care by the Health Foundation charity, survival rates in the UK lag behind many other countries.

    The Truth is too many people with worrying symptoms delay seeking medical help.
    The reasons given, according to the Health Foundation, include ’embarrassment’ or because they don’t want to bother their GP.

    FOFO – fear of finding out is a big one for Brit’s as confirmed by 2 reports.

    Something stands out quite clearly to me from this report – are we taking Responsibility for Our Health?

    Yes it is scary when we get symptoms but getting them checked out when they start can stop a whole lot of worsening symptoms, other illnesses, invasive and intense treatments. Ignoring symptoms won’t make them go away and more than likely will cause greater health problems because of it.

    Not taking responsibility for our health, getting checked when symptoms show not only affects our life and health but those close to us – family, friends, work, and our health care systems.

    17,000 cancer deaths a year.. is this worth considering?

    Can changing our choices change the outcome?

    Reply
49. 
    Simple Living Global

    February 16, 2019 at 11:54 am

    Metro News – 14 February 2019

    https://metro.co.uk/2019/02/14/sunbeds-are-death-machines-that-cause-cancer-and-should-be-banned-8624688/

    100,000 skin cancer cases diagnosed every year in the UK according to the NHS.

    Australia and Brazil have already banned electric beds because of their link to skin cancer.

    According to The World Health Organisation (WHO) – sunbeds are as dangerous as smoking.

    20% higher risk of developing melanoma if a sunbed has been used, even once in any stage of life.

    Cancer Research have warned that sunbeds give out harmful ultraviolet rays that damage skin and make it look wrinkled, older or leathery.

    It can also damage the DNA in skin cells and over time this damage can build to cause skin cancer.

    What if we start with real education as nothing else seems to be working?

    Let’s get real and honest that this free will thing we all subscribe to is making some of us behave in ways that harm the human frame.

    What if we can learn to turn the tides by teaching and presenting the real truth about cancer from a young age, then our kids will be better informed to make their choices when they reach a time in their life, where having a sun tan and looking brown is not worth it, BECAUSE they got the understanding way back in their younger days?

    If we are not informed or do not understand the real harm of sunbeds, then that ignorance can lead to us making choices that have consequences.

    We can each end the suffering if we begin to consider that every single choice we make does have a knock on effect, whether we like to know that or not.

    This blog, this comment and this website is absolutely dedicated to sharing wisdom, presenting questions and asking humanity to consider another way, which is not harming the human vehicle.

    Reply
50. 
    Bina Pattel

    July 17, 2019 at 5:54 pm

    ABC News – 17 July 2019

    https://abcnews.go.com/Health/nearing-anniversary-john-mccains-death-july-17-designated/story?id=64394951

    July 17 is now designated Glioblastoma Awareness Day.
    Senator John McCain died from the disease in August 2018.

    My mother died from the same disease in January this year – 2019

    Any awareness day is to raise public awareness and for Glioblastoma they are asking for support for research and treatment.

    It is known as the most common and aggressive form of brain cancer.

    Are national leaders ready to understand the urgency for action to find a cure and have we all forgotten something important here?

    We are far away from being on the front foot despite all our so-called intelligence and technology.

    We are yet to find the cure for so many or our ills and yet we seem to blindly go about seeking more of what is clearly not being addressed or delivered.

    How many of us are even interested to learn more or know anything about Glioblastoma?
    How many of us have heard of this form of cancer, if we are to be absolutely honest?

    I did my research once my mother was diagnosed in December 2018 and I knew instantly that regardless of all the interventions and efforts, she was not going to make it, simply because it is considered an incurable form of cancer and the outlook is very poor.

    This is a tumour that develops in the connective tissue of the brain, originating in brain cells called astrocytes and it is a relatively rare disease.

    Glioblastoma does not spread to other organs like other cancers but instead, remains in the brain, growing quickly and invading surrounding tissues. As the cancerous cells multiply, their growth affects the rest of the brain by compressing adjacent structures.

    I find it interesting that my mother never regained consciousness after surgery and in fact they operated soon after, as the pressure had built up and they needed to remove the skull again.

    Reflecting on it now, I know she was the type of woman who would absolutely hate to be debilitated or handicapped in any way and if she was going to have her say it would be “take me out” as that was her style. No way would she have been ok or accepting of such a big surgery with all the side effects and the imposing treatments on offer to keep her alive.

    She used to talk about those who suffer in old age, have surgery and a lesser quality of life which is merely an existence and she always said that was not what she would want.

    What this news story has got me to consider was that the tumour develops in the connective tissue of the brain and that means it is deep inside and spreads to areas around.

    Would it be wise to learn and find out more about the role of the connective tissue, as it is throughout our body and not just inside our brain?

    Would it be worth considering how the person lived their life and was there a link, a correlation so to speak, that could indicate how they end up with Glioblastoma?

    Are we always going to keep going for more and more research into curing and eradicating illness and disease OR will we stop to question WHY and HOW it got there in the first place?

    Why don’t we examine the root cause of anything that disturbs our body?

    Looking back at my mother’s life as a woman and how she coped, I ask myself was it something she was suppressing and not expressing that led to glioblastoma?

    Thinking outside the box has brought more settlement to me than thinking it’s a bad luck, bad timing, and all the other stuff we are fed about illness and disease.

    Glioblastoma is common and aggressive.

    Just knowing this has got me asking even more questions.

    Reply
51. 
    Simple Living Global

    April 30, 2020 at 11:48 am

    We are in the midst of a global pandemic where the majority of us had no idea it was coming and to what degree it would affect our personal and professional lives.

    Some of us are suffering with life threatening diseases and cancer is one of them.

    Have we ever stopped to consider that our world is so intelligent that it can get minds together and find the resources to go to another planet and report back their findings?

    We have ground breaking medicine that can keep us alive when our natural time is up for our body.

    In other words, our body is communicating to us, by way of the dis-ease inside our body and the progression of it that it has come to the end of its cycle on Earth, but we cannot accept that or others around us cannot and so in comes the intelligence we have created that can actually keep us alive.

    We all marvel at this advancement and get enchanted by it all but we forgot to ask a serious question – WHY has all the intelligence in the world not yet found the root cause of cancer so that we can heal this once and for all, as the saying goes?

    How does one prepare for the future knowing they could be the 1 in 2 or 1 in 3 of a cancer statistic?

    What if there is another way to live and be in this world?

    What if our lifestyle choices are a major contributory factor in what happens to our body when it comes to illness and disease?

    What if demanding more and more research and evidence is not getting us closer to getting to the root cause of WHY and HOW we get cancer?

    When are we going to make that movement to change and think outside the box like the scientist Mina Bissell who is mentioned in this tablet of Truth that we call a blog?

    What if the time is here to admit that our current way of operating and going about things is clearly not working ,so why not consider another way?
    On that note read our very first blog – Is there Another Way
    https://simplelivingglobal.com/is-there-another-way/

    Next – read and re-read this forensic blog presenting the different types of cancer and the stats and facts.

    Reply
52. 
    Simple Living Global

    February 4, 2021 at 2:18 pm

    The Argus – 26 January 2021

    https://www.theargus.co.uk/news/19037388.brighton-sussex-medical-school-finds-rise-skin-cancer/

    Today is World Cancer Day and we have this news story from last week about rates of skin cancer, which have rocketed in the past few decades.

    According to a new study by Brighton and Sussex Medical School, data was analysed from over 265,000 people diagnosed with skin cancer in England over 38 years. (1981 – 2018)

    The findings show an overall significant increase in rates of skin cancer during the last 4 decades, essentially due to the continually increasing rates in middle age (35-64) and old age (65-plus).

    The steepest increase was in males and at old ages. This is consistent with their relatively greater sun exposure and poor sun-protective behavior.

    Excessive exposure to UV radiation from the sun (or sunlight) is the main environmental risk factor for developing skin cancer.

    86% of all skin cancers in UK are attributable to excessive exposure to sunlight.

    According to scientists, exposure to artificial sources of UV radiation from indoor tanning beds/lamps is the second most important cause of skin cancer.

    250% rise in incidence rates for skin cancer in females UK.

    The masses enjoy the sun when it is out in the UK and this is understandable as this country does not have a sunny climate all year round.

    Like with all of our lifestyle choices, without the proper education and understanding – that means teaching children and adults of the consequences, then we can expect even more rise in dis-eases like skin cancer.

    Have we joined the dots and worked out that the good high factor sun stuff costs a lot of money and the majority of us are not going to subscribe to that for our body? When it comes to our body, we tend to make poor choices consistently. It makes no sense to spend excess money on drinking alcohol but not on taking care of our skin when exposed outside in hot temperatures.

    But what if it is not just about using UV protective sun cream or lotion to stop the sun rays giving us skin cancer? What if there is more and it is our body communicating something to us?

    Could it be possible that skin cancer, like any other cancer is telling us something about how we are living?

    We seem to fall victim to any dis-ease or illness, but we are yet to question if we have a hand in WHY and HOW we get any symptom that leads to something wrong in our body.

    Back to this research study – imagine the resources needed to analyse all that data from over 265,000 people and as with all scientific studies they will need to do more and tell us more but no one ever asks – what is the root cause? What created this mutation of cells that we call cancer and where did it all start?

    Bit like a tree – we see the leaves fall off and want a solution. The branches rot and we try and fix it with more solutions but we never go to the roots where it starts and where the answer is.

    Until we change our line of questioning, we can expect more research to alert and alarm us and yes we do not need a crystal ball – things will get worse but we could change this way of operating by questioning and keep questioning, like Einstein said. https://simplelivingglobal.com/questions-questions/

    Jumping on the bandwagon of World Cancer Day may seem great, but what awareness are we truly bringing to the world if we keep on going in the same direction with statistics telling us year on year, it’s got worse?

    Reply
53. 
    Bina Pattel

    August 6, 2021 at 2:40 pm

    The Guardian – 3 August 2021

    https://www.theguardian.com/society/2021/aug/03/trial-to-test-if-cannabis-based-mouth-spray-can-treat-brain-tumours

    First study in our world aims to trial if a cannabis based mouth spray can treat brain tumours and help the patient live longer.

    Patients with glioblastoma will be given the drug together with the chemotherapy medication in an attempt to kill off cancerous cells.

    Glioblastoma is an aggressive and hard to treat form of brain tumour that almost always comes back, despite using surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy to tackle it.

    Those diagnosed only live for 12 to 18 months and those with recurrent glioblastoma survive for 10 months. It is the most common form of brain cancer.

    If we take into account the £450,000 cost involved to cover the trial and the fact that some patients had problems with side effects, which included sickness, tiredness and dizziness when the drug was used for another disease – are we moving in the right direction?

    My mother was diagnosed with glioblastoma and lived exactly one month following surgery to remove the large tumour. What I now know is how rapidly it had grown. She never woke up and was allowed to come off oxygen and just go home to die naturally. We had a 24 hour nurse to attend and I watched her weight deteriorate and her body become lifeless by the day. Yes we all had our own emotions and needs of wanting to keep her alive and prolong the inevitable. However, I would be the first to question any drug with cannabis in the name, even if it was thought to give the patient a longer life.

    At what cost and does the patient have full access to all that they need to know about cannabis as this in depth article by Simple Living Global presents? Do they and their close family and friend know about cannabis research as the comments on this blog have consistently presented?

    Before we go down the cannabis route to treat cancer, do all the general public have the information they need to make a decision? If after what they read and understand they want to go ahead that is their choice, but we ought to look at everything and not just in isolation or with a reductionist view.

    We are told this type of cancer is “aggressive” so that means to combat and tackle those cancer cells, there has to be a lot of ‘counter’ to offset in the form of therapy and medication. We know we will never win as the life span is limited, but we may buy some time but at what cost? If the patient could speak up, what would they want before we impose our latest drug on them so they can live longer?

    I know from lived experience that when death is imminent and the dying process is happening, we tend to become very emotional and full of reactions, none of which are true and supportive for the patient. We have little or no understanding of human life and what happens before, during and after death, so the acceptance is almost not possible.

    Our personal needs to want a person to live longer than their natural cycle because our medical advancements can offer that may not always be the truth. Something we all need to ponder on and consider.

    What we seem to miserably fail at is finding the root cause of the illness or dis-ease.

    I would want to know the reason my mother got a brain tumour that happened so fast and make some sense, so I don’t go around for years and years, just trying to deal with the shock of her death, because I have no answers to settle me and move on with life.

    Reply
54. 
    Simple Living Global

    October 28, 2021 at 7:55 am

    Guardian Weekly | Page 8 – 22 October 2021

    We have been informed that there could be a new drug available to treat brain cancers and neurodegenerative diseases by temporarily allowing drugs and other substances to cross the blood brain barrier.

    Is this ground breaking news or have we got a long way to go, as this was a study on 4 women who had breast cancer that spread to the brain?

    Could it be possible that we need to look at how we are living and why mutation has shifted to another region in the body?

    Are we simply buying time as we cannot face what we all think is failure because death is around the corner?

    These questions deserve our response if we are to ever evolve as a species.

    As the author of this blog, I have written about my mother’s brain cancer by way of comment and what I observed was the speed in which the cancer spread and how as a family we all react in the name of “we want her to live and get better” knowing that time buying was not going to give us much by way of settlement. Instead opinions and reactions run high and Dad gets no space or even a moment to process the sudden demise, as it was such a shock after 60 years of living together. Siblings and relatives take over and make the decision for brain surgery in her native land – India.
    Note – having lived in the UK for over 6 decades she showed signs but the medics focussed on every part of her body and not the brain.

    She was losing her speech fast but was able to strongly communicate to get her on a plane to India where she was born.

    The point is – back in a rural village she is allowed to die naturally and this is what her servants and others (we call not academics or intellectuals) suggested. In comes the force of “I know best” and those that deem themselves to be more qualified and intelligent take over and get emergency surgery to open the skull and remove the large tumour. She had to have a second surgery as the first one was not successful and of course she never gained consciousness. The servants said why could we not just leave her to die naturally as it was her wish to be in India where she could be free of modern western world medical advice, because they come from the angle of “her time is up” and no force needed to extend that natural passing away.

    What if our new inventions are great for those that want their close ones to live longer but all the while buying time for our own benefit and not really for the true health and well-being of the cancer patient?

    I know that my mother was coherent enough and recognised voices, and could see everything as her vision was not impaired. This was taken away by decisions made by those that “know better” as she was not in a state to speak for herself. This brings me on to why we all need to take full Responsibility for the inevitable – death. It may come with illness and disease and for this reason we ought to wisen up and legally appoint those we know are real, savvy and not caught up in the emotions of death and dying to be our Lasting Powers of Attorney.

    Small digression but important and pertinent for this blog.

    Back to the Blood Brain Barrier –

    “The blood-brain barrier exists to maintain a homeostatic environment in which the Central Nervous System (CNS) structures can function without disruption from other bodily functions. It functions as a semi-permeable membrane that separates the peripheral blood from the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) to maintain homeostasis within the Central Nervous System.”
    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK519556/

    The wording has been taken from The National Library of Medicine (NIH) – official website of the United States government

    For those that require more knowledge, there is more to read on this NIH website link.

    For those who prefer to keep things simple and relatable to real life – here it is –

    By design as human beings we have a very important boundary and it is there for a reason and that means we need to pay attention and not allow anything that we have created to disturb the Blood Brain Barrier (BBB) and yet we do.

    Some of us know that alcohol and illicit drugs affect the BBB.

    So WHY is it that we allow alcohol to remain legal when we have enough evidence of its harmfull effects and that includes domestic violence?

    How about our researchers get back to business with only one thing on the agenda going forward…FIND the root cause of ALL illness and disease and put emphasis on that and nothing else?

    If we do not change the trajectory, we may find that no solution is going to give us the answers we so desperately seek.

    Reply
55. 
    Simple Living Global

    December 31, 2021 at 5:12 pm

    https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/medical/phoenix-oncologist-sees-a-rise-in-younger-non-smoking-patients-with-lung-cancer/ar-AASkmLX

    An oncologist in Phoenix, Arizona is bringing awareness that you do not have to be a smoker to be diagnosed with lung cancer. Dr. Jason Niu is seeing more young, non-smokers with the diagnosis. The youngest lung cancer patient was a non-smoking 28 year old.

    In the past, anyone diagnosed with lung cancer were smokers or ex-smokers.

    25% of newly diagnosed lunch cancer patients never smoked.

    Most of the lung cancer cases are among women.

    Researchers say secondhand smoke, occupational cancer and air pollution could play a role but it is hard to pinpoint what is causing the cancer.

    Dr. Niu said that with early stages of lung cancer, there are usually no symptoms. Some signs could be a nagging cough, unexplained weight loss or coughing up blood.

    Dear World

    What this news story reveals is that we can no longer go around assuming that a certain type of population gets lung cancer.

    If we re-read this article and ALL the comments thereafter – can we come to the understanding that how we are living daily life and the lifestyle choices we are making could be a contributing factor.

    Nina Bissell, the scientist mentioned in the article has a great summary of how cancer starts and then mutates. It is easy to dismiss these types of presentations, but what if there is some truth here that we need to examine and explore further.

    Next – we are told that the majority of cases are women. So how are women living and what gives rise to this – is it really second hand smoke or are women living in a way that is bringing on a dis-ease in the body that is located in the lung region?

    A wise move would be to read our article and all comments on that post about Women.
    https://simplelivingglobal.com/international-womens-day-part-1/

    Reply
56. 
    Simple Living Global

    April 25, 2022 at 4:49 pm

    American Association for Cancer Research – April 2022

    https://www.aacr.org/patients-caregivers/awareness-months/head-and-neck-cancer-awareness-month

    April is Head and Neck Cancer Awareness Month.

    Head and Neck Cancer is a group of cancers that usually begin in the squamous cells that line the mucosal surfaces inside the mouth, nose and throat, and occasionally the salivary glands. It is more common in men than women and more often diagnosed among those over age 50.

    Symptoms may include a lump or a sore that does not heal, a sore throat that does not go away, difficulty swallowing and a change or hoarseness in the voice.

    Alcohol and Tobacco use are major risk factors for head and neck cancers.
    Other risk factors include:

    Eating preserved or salted foods
    Poor oral hygiene and missing teeth
    Asian ancestry, particularly Chinese ancestry

    Dear World

    If we know the major risk factors are alcohol and tobacco – why is it that we still endorse this as ok to consume?

    On one hand we allow this in the name of socialising and recreational activity – our free will etc., but on the other hand it costs society, as our health systems have to deal with it.

    We ingest a poison – be it alcohol or tobacco or both.

    We expect to continue on the ill road until something happens and then we expect to be looked after with healthcare but in truth we could simply stop killing ourselves as that is what we are doing, if we are to be honest.

    Preserved and salty foods are our standard in most diets and yet we don’t realise the harmfull effects on our body.

    Oral hygiene or a lack of it has been going on for a very long time. Dental costs are high and yet we could with some simple daily care, avoid this but we don’t.

    Is it time to ask WHY we don’t bother to pay attention or make the necessary changes that would and could support our human body that we have until our last breath?

    We never put the wrong fuel in our car but we happily bludgeon our body with poisons that are not made for optimum health and vitality.

    Reply
57. 
    Simple Living Global

    May 20, 2022 at 6:30 pm

    DDW2022 | Digestive Disease Week – 18 May 2022

    https://ddw.org/2022/05/18/alarming-rise-found-in-esophageal-cancer-and-barretts-esophagus-in-middle-aged-adults/

    Alarming rise found in Esophageal cancer and Barretts Esophagus in middle-aged adults.

    Adults aged 45 to 64 experienced a nearly doubled rate of Esophageal cancer and a 50% increase in the precancerous condition Barrett’s Esophagus between 2012 and 2019, according to a database analysis of 5 million patients.

    Esophageal cancer and Barrett’s Esophagus are most commonly found in elderly white males and the study found the highest incidence continues to be among those over age 65.

    Researchers found that the cancer rate nearly doubled in the 45 to 64 age group.

    Oesophageal cancer, which is usually detected by endoscopy is often a silent killer with minimal symptoms until it becomes advance. Barrett’s esophagus – the primary precursor lesion for Esophageal Adenocarcinoma, which begins in the glandular cells in the lining of the esophagus – is caused mainly by chronic acid reflux. Other risk factors include advanced age, male sex, obesity, smoking and alcohol consumption.

    The study is to be presented at Digestive Disease Week 2022.

    DDW – Digestive Disease Week is the largest international gathering of physicians, researchers and academics in the fields of gastroenterology, hepatology, endoscopy and gastrointestinal surgery.

    Dear World

    We have a blog on this website called HEARTBURN and Common Sense and it would be a wise move to have a read.
    https://simplelivingglobal.com/heartburn-and-common-sense/

    Next –

    We have our world’s top physicians, researchers and other academics specialising in the field of everything related to Digestive Disease coming together with over 3,100 abstracts to showcase and hundreds of lectures on the latest advances in GI research, medicine and technology.

    With due respect to all they offer and do for us, is there something we could be questioning and reflecting on…?

    This news story tells us about the rise in a certain age group and the link with Esophageal cancer. We are then informed that it is mainly caused by chronic acid reflux. Then we are told other risk factors include obesity, smoking and alcohol consumption in older men.

    The NIH – National Library of Medicine says that this type of cancer is the fastest growing in the Western world AND associated with the proliferation of obesity.
    Adenocarcinoma has been rising by 6 fold annually and is now becoming the fastest growing cancer in the United States.
    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3516225/

    Hello – can we simply wake up and just join the dots and apply some good old fashion common sense here?

    Our lifestyle choices lead to obesity in the majority of cases and we know that. This means we have a hand in WHY we end up with this dis-ease in our body.

    If we know (because we do know) that obesity, alcohol and smoking are killing us then why do we not have a World AGM with the questions WHY and HOW and call in the experts in every field to help us get to the root cause?

    If we want to continue finding solutions and ways to avoid digging deeper then we can expect more cases as we are simply not addressing WHY we get to the point where we have this dis-ease.

    Something is not right if we keep hearing of a rise in illness and dis-ease and we have the intelligence to build skyscrapers and innovate new technology and travel to outer space and yet we cannot nail the diseases that the human body is facing right now.

    Reply
58. 
    Simple Living Global

    June 6, 2022 at 7:16 am

    Skin Cancer Foundation – May 2022

    https://www.skincancer.org/skin-cancer-information/skin-cancer-facts/

    Skin Cancer Facts & Statistics

    1 in 5 Americans will develop skin cancer by age 70
    2 people die of skin cancer in the U.S. every hour
    5 more sunburns doubles risk of melanoma

    Survival rate for melanoma is 99% when detected early.

    9,500 diagnosed every day with skin cancer in the U.S.

    More people are diagnosed with skin cancer each year than all other cancers combined.

    $8.1 Billion – annual cost of treating skin cancers in the U.S.

    90% of non-melanoma skin cancers are associated with exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun.

    3.6 million cases of BCC (basal cell carcinoma), most common form of cancer diagnosed each year.

    1.8 million cases of SCC (squamous cell carcinoma), 2nd most common form of skin cancer diagnosed each year.

    5,400 people worldwide die of non-melanoma skin cancer every month.

    Organ transplant patients 100 times more likely to develop squamous cell carcinoma.

    95% increase in merkel cell carcinoma, a rare and aggressive form of skin cancer, from 2000 to 2013.

    90% of skin ageing is caused by the sun.

    Sun damage is cumulative.
    23% of lifetime exposure occurs by age 18.

    Reply
59. 
    Simple Living Global

    June 30, 2022 at 7:24 pm

    Johns Hopkins Medicine News – 28 June 2022

    https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/news/newsroom/news-releases/adult-cancer-survivors-have-higher-risk-of-cardiovascular-disease-than-those-without-cancer-study-shows

    Adult survivors of cancer have a higher risk of Heart Failure and other Cardiovascular Diseases (CVD) later in life than adults without Cancer, according to results of a large study led by Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers.

    The findings emerged from analysis of information about 12,000 people followed over decades.

    Adult survivors of Cancer had 42% greater risk of CVD.

    Survivors of Cancer had 52% higher risk of developing Heart Failure.
    22% higher risk of developing Stroke.

    The American Cancer Society estimates there are over 16.9 million adult survivors of Cancer today in the U.S. and that will climb to over 22.1 million by 2020 putting increasing numbers at risk for CVD.

    Reply
60. 
    Simple Living Global

    July 18, 2022 at 6:46 pm

    Medscape News – 15 July 2022

    https://www.medscape.co.uk/viewarticle/melanoma-mortality-tripled-1970s-men-come-worse-2022a1001tl3

    Melanoma death rates have tripled over the past 40 years, much more in men than in women, according to data released by Cancer Research UK.

    219% rise since 1973 in men, equivalent to 1400 men.
    76% rise in women and 980 annually – a total of 6 people a day.

    Men were calculated to be 69% more likely to die from the most serious form of skin cancer than women.

    Much has changed in travel habits since 1973 and these changes are likely to have contributed to the rise. Package holidays became more commonplace and more recently the number of cheap flights has surged, meaning destinations where the sun can be stronger than in the UK were within reach of a much larger number of people, sometimes several times a year, as opposed to the one ‘summer holiday’ of previous years.

    Late stage diagnoses in men, which may explain the higher mortality, may be due to the greater likelihood of a torso-located melanoma, often due to men removing their shirts in hot weather. At these sites, changes to the skin might be harder to spot and go unchecked until too late.

    According to a Cancer Research UK Survey, 25% of men always use sun protection, despite knowing the risks of skin cancer from sunburn.

    Reasons given for not using sunscreen included 25% of men not believing the sunlight was strong enough, while a further 23% said they ‘did not really think about it’.

    The International Agency for Research on Cancer reported that an estimated 325,000 people worldwide received a new diagnosis of cutaneous melanoma in 2020.

    They added that if present trends continue, the incidence of new cases is predicted to increase by about 50% in 2040, with melanoma deaths expected to rise by almost 70%.

    Reply
61. 
    Simple Living Global

    September 20, 2022 at 6:06 am

    Yale School of Medicine – 16 September 2022

    https://medicine.yale.edu/news-article/incarceration-associated-with-higher-cancer-mortality-yale-study-shows/

    New research from Yale Cancer Center reveals a higher risk of cancer mortality in incarcerated adults, as well as among those diagnosed with cancer in the first year after release from prison.

    Cancers originating from the gastrointestinal system were the most common cancers in this population, followed by lung and prostate cancer, leukaemia and lymphoma.

    Co-author of the study – Dr. Cary Gross said “This is a call to action… cancer prevention and treatment efforts should target people while in prison and identify why incarceration is associated with worse outcomes.”

    The findings state the national data reveals cancer is now the leading cause of death among young incarcerated individuals.

    Dear World,

    Whilst we focus on the prevention and treatment, is it time to consider some other relevant questions on behalf of the incarcerated population?

    What happens to the body in the initial year of incarceration?

    What would we discover if we observed how these individuals behave from the start of their prison sentence?

    What happens to their heart and blood pressure when they first go into custody?

    What medical emergencies or health issues occur whilst incarcerated?

    What is their food consumption and is this having an effect if we know that cancers originating from the gastrointestinal system are the most common for the incarcerated population?

    Are we willing to dig a bit deeper and work out HOW and WHY anyone ends up behind bars? In other words, how was their life, what were their movements that led to a crime that put them in prison?

    Everything needs to be questioned and examined if we are to work out why so many in this population are dying of cancer or getting cancer as soon as they are released.

    The incarcerated population are a part of humanity and we cannot dismiss them or ignore them because of their ill behaviours that led them to be in prison. What we need to do is stop them so they never have to go back and at the same time, find out what is going on behind the scenes. There is much to learn and this will benefit society but we have to all put aside our judgements, fears, opinions and anything else that we hold against this population before we can even go in and truly support.

    As the co-author of the study said we do need to identify WHY incarceration is associated with worse outcomes.

    Reply
62. 
    Simple Living Global

    January 14, 2023 at 7:34 am

    UC DAVIS HEALTH – 9 January 2023

    An increase in women 65 and older dying of cervical cancer.

    https://health.ucdavis.edu/news/headlines/study-finds-increase-in-women-65-and-older-dying-of-cervical-cancer–/2023/01

    Researchers show an alarming number of Californian women aged 65 and older are facing late-stage cervical cancer diagnoses and dying from the disease.

    This is despite guidelines that recommend most women stop screening for cervical cancer at this age.

    The findings from the study showed

    2009 – 2018
    1 in 5 new cervical cancers diagnosed were in women 65 and older.

    71% presented with late-stage disease than younger women (48%).

    Late-stage five-year relative survival was lower for women 65 and over.

    80 years of age and older had the lowest survival of all age groups.

    The study utilised a large set of population-based data from the California Cancer Registry. This state-mandated cancer surveillance system has collected cancer incidence and patient demographic diagnostic, and treatment since 1988.

    The data was used to identify all women 21 years and older who were diagnosed with a first primary cervical cancer in California from 2009 – 2018.

    Among women 65 and older, those who had comorbidities or were older were more likely to be diagnosed with late-stage disease.

    Following the introduction and widespread adoption of the Papanicolaou (Pap) smear test in the 1940’s, cervical cancer incidence and mortality have fallen significantly. However, incidence rates have plateaued since 2012, and rates of invasive cervical cancer have actually increased in recent decades.

    Through adequate screening and follow-up, cervical cancer can be prevented or detected at an early stage. However, current guidelines recommend discontinuing screening for women 65 or older who have had history of normal Pap and/or Human Papillomavirus (HPV) tests, potentially leaving this age group vulnerable.

    23.2% of women in the US who are over 18 are not up to date on recommended cervical cancer screening, previous studies have shown.

    Disadvantaged women such as those who are uninsured or poor are the least likely to report being up to date with cervical cancer screening.

    Additional factors may contribute to older women not receiving adequate screening:

    • Specific type of hysterectomy – a supracervical hysterectomy leaves the cervix intact and some women do not realise they need to continue screening for cervical cancer.

    • Women may tire of Pap smears due to embarrassment and the intrusiveness of a speculum-based exam.

    • Pap tests less accurate – the screening may not be as accurate in post-menopausal women in detecting adenocarcinoma, which has been increasing in incidence (as compared to squamous cell carcinoma).

    • HPV testing – women in the older age group may not have received HPV testing which wasn’t widely available until 2003. The Centers for Disease Control reports that almost all cases of cervical cancer are HPV related.

    Reply
63. 
    Simple Living Global

    April 20, 2023 at 7:51 am

    Head and Neck Cancer Alliance
    2023 Oral, Head and Neck Cancer Awareness Fact Sheet

    https://headandneck.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/2023-OHANCAW-Fact-Sheet.pdf

    Oral, Head & Neck Cancer Awareness Week 16 – 23 April 2023

    Awareness days have a purpose to post on social media and the founder of Simple Living Global has been taking action since 2017 reporting daily on topics that humanity need to be aware of.

    Where there is more to report, we do our best to bring awareness by way of posting a comment.

    We are not short of content and at times it is appropriate to post on 2 of our articles as it is for the following comment.

    Many of us may not be aware of the facts.

    Did we know that in 2022, around 650,000 people were affected by head and neck cancer worldwide, with 330,000 deaths. In the United States alone, there will be 65,000 new diagnoses made, with 14,600 deaths.

    Cancers of the Oropharynx, (tonsil and base of tongue) are increasing in incidence in Europe and North America, particularly among young non-smokers, due in large part to infection with human papillomavirus (HPV).

    Of the cases of head and neck cancer diagnosed in the United States, it is estimated that nearly 70% will be attributed to HPV infection.

    31% head and neck cancer cases attributable to HPV in Europe
    17.5% in Asia

    Tobacco and Alcohol are very strong risk factors for oral, head and neck cancer, particularly those of the tongue, mouth, throat and voice box. Those who use both tobacco and alcohol are at greater risk for developing these cancers than people who use either tobacco or alcohol alone.

    Researchers have correlated the rising incidence of head and neck cancer, particularly throat cancer, in young adults, a group traditionally at low risk to the human papillomavirus (HPV).

    HPV is a potentially cancer-causing virus that can be transmitted through oral sex.

    NHS fact sheet tells us HPV can spread from any skin to skin contact of the genital area, vaginal, anal or oral sex and sharing sex toys. HPV has no symptoms and is very common.
    https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/human-papilloma-virus-hpv/

    Many studies support that oropharyngeal cancers – those affecting the tonsils, back of the mouth (throat) and base of the tongue have been on the rise since the mid-1980s and currently 50-70% of these cases are caused by HPV infections.

    2018
    HPV-related throat cancer surpassed cervical cancer as the most common HPV-related cancer in the United States.

    Let’s join the dots and keep it simple.

    Dear World

    WE HAVE A 911

    Our young adults all over the world are engaging in oral forms of sexual activity that gives rise to cancers that affect the tonsils, back of the mouth and base of tongue. Whilst we may want to continue to dismiss the facts, it is not suddenly going to disappear.

    Europe and North America have the statistics confirming that young non-smokers (not a group associated with these types of cancers) are getting cancer and if we join the dots and read up what HPV actually is, we can be certain it is because of oral, vaginal, and anal sex. Add to that sharing sex toys.

    Society does not want to go there or ever admit how prevalent this has now become.

    If our health systems do not alert us and warn us then chances are this type of information remains under the radar, so to speak.

    There is a form of reductionism when we tell the public that it is very common and most people have no problems with this virus. For those seeking comfort for their irresponsible sexual behaviour they will find the wording and take it as a certainty that they will be ok as, the website informed them. But what if this leads to even more irresponsible behaviour with oral sexual activity and perhaps multiple sexual partners and this inevitably will give rise to cancers that were once very rare in young adults?

    We have become immune and complacent about so many diseases that could easily be eradicated. We call them lifestyle choices.

    In the name of pleasure, we go about doing what we want without ever considering the consequences. If and when things do go wrong, we have a health system that will fix us, mend us and we may learn or we may just go back to the very ill behaviour that created the disease in the first place.

    If we look at Alcohol and Tobacco – how many more research studies do we need to admit that they are poisons and not for human consumption? However, for those that know, it is not that simple to give up something that we have become addicted to. Very few want to get to the root cause of WHY they went down the road of Alcohol, Tobacco or both and so we continue and our body cops it and then communicates it back to us with some form of illness and disease.

    We know this is true and yet we continue down the ill road, with no stop in sight until something happens.

    WHY is it that we wait and nothing – no news, no awareness days and no real life stories are able to stop us in our track? Worth considering.

    Reply
64. 
    Simple Living Global

    May 21, 2023 at 6:43 pm

    The Guardian – 16 May 2023

    Weight Gain Early in Life Increases Risk of Prostate Cancer Death by 27%.

    https://www.theguardian.com/science/2023/may/16/study-finds-weight-gain-early-in-life-increases-risk-of-prostate-cancer-death-by-27

    A study of more than 250,000 men from Sweden indicated there was a strong link between men gaining weight across their healthiest years and developing prostate cancer.

    Part of the Obesity and Disease Development Sweden study from 1963 to 2014, researchers analysed the data of men who had their weight measured at least three times between the ages of 17 and 60.

    The findings indicated there was a strong link between men gaining weight across their healthiest years and developing prostate cancer.

    Men who put on 2st (12.7kg) before turning 30 are 27% more likely to die from prostate cancer in old age than those who maintain their teenage weight.

    But gaining weight more steeply puts you at a similar risk.
    13kgs (28lbs) between the ages of 17 and 29 is associated with –
    13% increased risk of aggressive prostate cancer.
    27% increased risk of fatal prostate cancer.

    • 23,348 participants were diagnosed with prostate cancer.
    • Average age at diagnosis of 70 years.
    • 4,790 men died from the disease.

    1.4 million cases diagnosed every year –
    Prostate cancer is the most common cancer occurring in men.

    UK –
    1 in 6 are diagnosed with the disease.

    12,000 men a year die from the disease, and
    African-Caribbean men in the UK are almost twice as likely to die from the disease compared with white men.

    Many prostate cancers are slow-growing and may not cause a man harm during his lifetime.

    8 in 10 men diagnosed in England live for at least 10 years after diagnosis, others can be more aggressive and harder to treat.

    Previous research has suggested a strong link between excess body fat increases and the risk of aggressive and fatal prostate cancer.

    Reply
65. 
    Simple Living Global

    June 13, 2023 at 6:49 am

    UPI – 9 June 2023

    https://www.upi.com/Health_News/2023/06/09/disability-cancer-survivors/6751686318028/

    Rate of disability among U.S. cancer survivors doubles in 20 years

    The study of more than 51,000 survivors was weighted to represent a larger population of 178.8 million people.

    About 3.6 million survivors had a functional limitation or disability in 1999, but that increased to 8.2 million in 2018.

    The study authors wanted to understand whether increasing survivorship was associated with one of the key determinants of quality of life: functional ability.

    To do this, the investigators reviewed 20 years of records from the U.S. National Health Interview Survey.

    The researchers reviewed responses from 1999 to 2018 looking for 12 functional limitations, including inability to stand for more than an hour, difficulty sitting for more than two hours and difficulty participating in social activities without assistance.

    About 70% of survivors reported at least one type of functional limitation.

    • 80% for survivors of pancreatic cancer
    • 76.5% for lung cancer
    • 62% for melanoma
    • 62% for breast cancer
    • 60% for prostate cancer

    Hispanic and Black survivors experienced a disproportionate increase in these limitations during the study period.

    Reply
66. 
    Simple Living Global

    July 9, 2023 at 7:22 am

    eCancer – 4 July 2023

    Cigarette smoke and HPV have synergistic effect on cells, heightening the risk of head and neck cancer.

    https://ecancer.org/en/news/23312-cigarette-smoke-and-hpv-have-synergistic-effects-on-cells-heightening-the-risk-of-head-and-neck-cancer

    Tobacco smoking and human papillomavirus (HPV) are both well-known risk factors for head and neck cancer and there is ample evidence to show they can interact to increase still further the risk of contracting the disease.

    The results of the study clarify aspects of the molecular mechanisms involved in head and neck cancer, paving the way for novel strategies of prevention and treatment, or other interventions that could benefit patients.

    Head and neck cancer is a group of cancers of the:

    • Mouth
    • Nose
    • Sinuses
    • Tonsils
    • Throat
    • Thyroid

    2020
    830,000 people worldwide affected and causing the death of more than 50%.

    2019
    21,000 deaths in Brazil

    Historically speaking, its main causes have been Alcohol, Tobacco and poor Oral Hygiene, but in recent decades HPV has become a significant risk factor, especially for younger people and relatively well-off patients.

    Head and neck cancer is now one of the fastest-rising types of cancer associated with HPV in the world.

    The researchers first conducted in-vitro experiments to analyse oral cells that expressed the oncoproteins HPV16 E6 and E7 (showing infection by HPV) and were exposed to cigarette smoke condensate.

    Levels of SOD2 and DNA damage were found to increase significantly compared with controls, pointing to harmful interaction between HPV and cigarette smoke.

    The control cells expressed less SOD2 than the cells expressed E6 and E7 or the cells exposed to cigarette smoke, while the cells that expressed the oncoproteins and were exposed to cigarette smoke expressed more SOD2 than either, indicating interaction between the presence of HPV genes and cigarette smoke.

    SOD2 – superoxide dismutase 2, a putative biomarker of oral cancer malignancy and other diseases associated with HPV.
    Enrique Boccardo, Professor in the Department of Microbiology at the University of São Paulo’s Biomedical Sciences Institute, Brazil

    Reply
67. 
    Tim Bowyer

    July 23, 2023 at 2:46 pm

    Diabetes UK – 19 July 2023

    https://www.diabetes.co.uk/news/2023/jul/junk-food-and-cheap-alcohol-has-triggered-increase-of-liver-cancer-cases.html

    Junk food and cheap alcohol has triggered increase of liver cancer deaths in the past decade.

    The British Liver Trust has found that unhealthy lifestyles have triggered a 40% increase in liver cancer over the last 10 years.

    Health data has revealed that, in the UK, liver cancer is now the fastest rising cause of cancer deaths in the country.

    Pamela Healy, the Chief Executive of the British Liver Trust said: “The key drivers for the increase in cases and deaths are alcohol and Obesity. Too many of us are drinking too much alcohol and are overweight.”

    She added: “The Government must urgently tackle the accessibility and abundance of unhealthy food which is often significantly cheaper.”

    Public health officials are now calling for the Government to set a minimum pricing on alcohol after Scotland introduced a minimum price of 50p a unit in 2018.

    According to the British Liver Trust, cases of liver cancer can be reduced by getting an earlier diagnosis, having better access to the most effective treatment and having a greater focus on prevention.

    The Trust has discovered that people with liver disease are more at risk of developing liver cancer compared to those with the condition.

    However, the charity has reported that healthy lifestyle adjustments can reverse the disease, such as reducing junk food and alcohol intake.

    The British Liver Trust said: “Population-wide measures which regulate the affordability accessibility of alcohol and unhealthy food are proven to be more effective than individual behaviour change in reducing disease.”

    • More than 95,000 people prevented from becoming obese due to ban on junk food advertising on Transport for London

    • Junk food in reality TV could be fuelling Obesity

    In the UK approximately 6,000 cases of liver cancer are detected every year, equating to 16 per day.

    Previous studies have found that less than 15% of people with liver cancer live for five years or more after their diagnosis.

    A representative from the Department of Health said: “Obesity costs the NHS around £6.5 billion a year and is the second biggest cause of cancer.”

    “The NHS has seen and treated record numbers of cancer patients over the last two years and cancer is being diagnosed at an earlier stage more often.”

    Is it possible that this ‘situation’ is not a hard one to figure out?

    The governments, the medical world and those in authority can come up with all measures and solutions but is it possible that, if we get it in our ‘minds’ to have something, then nothing is going to stop us from having what we want?

    I know this from experience.

    Even though I have an understanding of how food affects our bodies and I know that certain foods are going to make me feel like c**p, I still go ahead and buy these foods.

    It’s like there is a voice in my head goading me and pushing me to have these foods and I know there is usually nothing that will stop me from having these foods.

    If we constantly put poisonous substances, like alcohol, and cheap foods that have questionable ingredients into our bodies, is it any wonder that our organs, having worked so hard to keep them clear, eventually start to give up?

    Our bodies are amazing at clearing toxins from inside but there comes a point when it has to say, ‘enough is enough’.

    It then gives us a message – in this case a diagnosis of cancer – and the first thing we do is to wonder how we ended up with this disease – WHY ME?

    Is it possible that this shows us that we are the creators of this disease?
    That this disease came ‘from’ us?

    Is it possible that our lifestyle choices – what we eat and drink, what our thoughts are, how we move in life, how we talk to others, how we treat others, whether our hearts are open or not, whether we express how we are feeling or keep it bottled inside – have an effect on our bodies?

    Is it possible then, in whatever form it takes, ALL illness and disease come ‘from’ us and not ‘to’ us as we would like to think it does?

    Reply
68. 
    Simple Living Global

    August 14, 2023 at 5:41 pm

    The Washington Times – 10 August 2023

    https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2023/aug/10/study-finds-most-cancer-survivors-drink-heavily-de/

    FOR THE RECORD
    The content of this comment has been placed appropriately on our ALCOHOL AWARENESS article.
    However, it serves equally for this article on all things related to Cancer.

    Dear World

    Is it time to stop and question WHY the majority of cancer survivors report drinking alcohol actively?
    Read the Real Truth about Alcohol on this website and then go to Alcohol Awareness where there is absolutely heaps of evidence about the toxic poison that alcohol is.

    So WHY are we not seeing this study and others that are similar on our worldwide media front page headlines?

    This is the brief on a new study –

    A new study has found that most adult cancer survivors drink Alcohol despite medical warnings that doing so can derail their treatment and recovery.

    78% of cancer survivors reported drinking actively
    75% among them consumed substantial amount of Alcohol
    24% reported binge drinking
    38% displayed habits medical experts classify as “hazardous drinking”

    “Our study fills in a critical unmet understanding as growing evidence shows that Alcohol consumption can worsen outcomes for cancer survivors, both in the short and long term. Our research underscores the need for increased support to address risky drinking in cancer care settings” said Yin Cao – senior author of the study and Associate Professor at Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis.

    Reply
69. 
    Simple Living Global

    August 20, 2023 at 3:25 am

    CNN – 16 August 2023

    Cancer diagnosis rates are going up in younger adults driven largely by rises in women and people in their 30’s.

    https://edition.cnn.com/2023/08/16/health/early-onset-cancer-increase/index.html

    A government funded study of 17 National Cancer Institute registries looked at more than 500,000 cases of early-onset cancer, or cancers diagnosed in patients under age 50, between 2010 and 2019.

    The study found that overall, early-onset cancers increased over that decade.

    The change seemed to be driven by rates of cancer in younger women, which went up at the same time and rates slightly decreased in men.

    Early-onset cases in women:

    34,233 in 2010
    35,721 in 2019

    The rate of cancer diagnosis increased in adults in their 30’s over the decade but remained stable in other under-50 age groups.

    When researchers looked at cancer trends for younger adults by race, they found that early-onset cancers were going up fastest among people who identify as American Indian or Alaska Natives, Asians and Hispanics.

    Cancers with the highest numbers of early-onset cases diagnosed in 2019 were:

    • Breast – 12,649
    • Thyroid – 5,869
    • Colorectal – 4,097

    The biggest increase in early-onset cases were:

    • Appendix cancer – up by 252%
    • Bile duct cancer – up by 142%
    • Uterine cancer – up by 76%

    2010 to 2019
    15% increase in incidence rates of early-onset cancers of the gastrointestinal tract grew the fastest.

    Previous research has shown a rise in cancers of the digestive system, particularly colorectal cancers, among adults younger than 55 since the 1990’s.

    A review of cancer registry records in 44 countries found that the incidence of early-onset cancers is rising rapidly for 14 types of cancer, many of which affect the digestive system.

    Dear World

    If our younger population are now getting cancer that is very telling that something is clearly not right.

    Do we know what the appendix, bile duct and uterine symbolise, represent or communicate to us as an individual?

    Do we want to know or will we hope we don’t get that particular type of cancer?

    We now have early onset cancers which are rapidly rising. This tells us our health systems are heading for even more burnout and deficit as they simply will not be able to cope with the rising numbers. Let us not be in any illusion that things are not serious or at breaking point within our worldwide health systems. Asking our governments to fund more is not the answer. We all as individuals need to demand answers and whilst we do that we start with asking “How are we living and is that in anyway contributing to a future cancer statistic?”

    If many of those cancers are affecting the digestive system then should we question what are we ingesting in the first place and how do we digest life?

    In other words, what ill lifestyle choices are we making and repeating every single day and this is not just about the foods and drinks and what we are snorting or smoking.

    Add to that our reactions and our lack of expressing what we truly feel and sense but do not say. Try digesting that and ask is there a simple correlation here WHY so many cancers are linked to our digestive system?

    A few decades ago it was rare when we heard that someone had the big “C” word and today it seems quite normal to have some form of cancer.

    How have we got to the point where our media are not reporting on every news feed as front page headlines these statistics?

    WHY are we not waking up and admitting we have a serious 911 on our hands and it is global and not just isolated to one cohort in one country?

    WHY do we keep demanding more and more research to alert us and then do absolutely nothing other than wait for more research?

    Cancer is not going away and cancer is communicating something to us through our body.

    What if cancer is a CORRECTION to bring about a much needed stop and change as we simply cannot continue on the path we have been on?

    In other words, we live in a way that is not deeply caring or in sync with what our body needs and BECAUSE of this ill way of living, we create a dis-ease, a dis-harmony, a dis-order of how things should be inside our body and this gives rise to cells mutating in a way that were not how they were originally designed to be and work.

    How many times do we need to hear that our lifestyle choices need to change as we could end up with cancer?

    Do we really need more evidence or can we become our own scientist and explore what our body feels and senses, if we start with some basic 101 simple steps to change the way we are living in daily life?

    The obvious ones are the cut out alcohol, caffeine, sugar, smoking, vaping and all our other numbing and distracting behaviours. But let us add to the list how we are avoiding the most important one which is SLEEP.

    We forget that this human body is designed to have a balance and so our waking time must have the EQUAL time for rest and sleep and this is where our modern world has lost the plot. We simply do not value sleep time and part of the problem is this is not something we are raised with or educated to know and understand.

    Enough said for now. It is time to wake up that we do have a hand in WHY our body gives us cancer and until we admit that we will continue to see a rise – that is inevitable.

    Reply
70. 
    Simple Living Global

    September 19, 2023 at 5:37 pm

    The University of Edinburgh – 14 September 2023

    https://www.ed.ac.uk/news/2023/global-surge-in-cancer-cases-among-under-50s

    Global surge in cancer cases among under 50s, according to new research.

    1990 to 2019
    79% increase in global cancer cases

    27% rise in cancer deaths in the same age group.

    1 million under 50s a year are now dying of cancer.

    Cancer of the breast, windpipe, lung, bowel and stomach are the biggest death toll.

    Experts say smoking, alcohol consumption and diets high in meat and salt but low in fruit and milk are the main risk factors.

    The University of Edinburgh led a team that looked at the impact of 29 cancers on people aged between 14 and 49 in over 200 countries and regions.

    Breast cancer accounted for the largest number of cancers.

    The fastest rise was seen in windpipe and prostate cancers.

    2019
    The highest rates of early onset cancers were seen in North America, Australasia and Western Europe.

    Based on the trends for the past 3 decades, researchers estimate that the global number of new early onset cancer cases will rise by another 31% in 2030.
    Cancer associated deaths will rise by 21%. Those in their 40s will be the most at risk.

    Reply
71. 
    Shevon Simon

    October 15, 2023 at 2:51 pm

    Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine – 11 October 2023

    https://www.bumc.bu.edu/camed/2023/10/11/first-large-study-of-hair-relaxers-among-black-women-finds-increased-risk-of-uterine-cancer/

    Chemical hair relaxers are heavily marketed to and commonly used by, Black women to straighten curly or tightly coiled hair. These products are only loosely regulated and are known to contain potentially harmful ingredients, including chemicals known as endocrine disruptors which can be absorbed via inhalation or through the skin. Prior studies have linked these chemicals to a wide range of women’s reproductive health outcomes.

    A new study by researchers at Boston University’s Black Women’s Health Study has reported that long-term use of chemical hair relaxers by post menopausal Black women was associated with increased risk of uterine cancer.

    Compared to women who never or rarely used hair relaxers, those who reported using hair relaxers more than twice a year or for more than five years had a greater than 50% increased risk of uterine cancer.

    Kimberly Bertrand ScD, Associate Professor of Medicine at Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine said –
    “…Compared to non-Hispanic White women, Black women have higher rates of aggressive subtypes of uterine cancer and are nearly twice as likely to die from their disease.”

    This is an important study and it is no surprise there is an association between post menopausal black women who use chemical hair relaxers and the higher rates of uterine cancer and the important question to ask is WHY.

    Many black women from a very young age – at least age 13 use hair relaxers. Straightening ones hair is seen as a rite of passage to womanhood. Growing up, there are plans made and discussions had from years before about when a young girl’s hair will be straightened.

    I recall around the age of 11 sitting in my Mum’s kitchen and having my hair pressed with the hot iron comb heated on the stove and even though my hair fell out, when age 13 came the chemical relaxer went on with no questions asked.

    Back to the study and the WHY question –

    So why do more post menopausal black women who use chemical hair relaxers have higher rates of uterine cancer?

    Is it related to how black women see and value themselves through life?

    Example if from very young the focus is on a young girl’s hair and what that means in terms of whether she is seen as beautiful, or not would this then not have an impact on a young girl and later a women’s self-worth?

    I am from a Caribbean background and there is talk from young of ‘good hair’ with some black hair types regarded as good and some not.
    Loosely curled, Asian quality, long hair = good hair for a black girl.

    Other than that you are no good and then the shade of skin colour goes with it.
    The lighter the skin, the more attention one gets.

    If you have dark skin and tightly coiled hair you can forget it – no good hair or beauty there and instead you might be called ‘blackie’ or picky head’.

    I recall walking round the house with a towel on my head as a child, so I could ‘flick my hair’. Says it all.

    So what if growing up in an environment where you are not adored leaves a black girl constantly looking for ways to change herself so that she can be accepted?

    What if that later leads to a life of a career driven ‘black power’ woman or a life of drudgery where one feels no good about themselves but in both a woman is taking no care of herself.

    For the record, pampering oneself and getting our nails done does not necessarily equal care.

    What if it this rejection leads to a young girl and then woman having no connection with herself and her inner-most feelings?

    What if it leads to a woman who is unable to truly express herself?

    What if it leads to a black woman always feeling less due to how she looks?

    We only need to look around today on any high street to see the amount of black woman who have long false nails, false hair and false eyelashes to see this is still going on and that black women are still affected.

    What if there is an innate quality – an inner beauty within every woman that is the same and if this is not fostered and nurtured and allowed to grow from our early years – we end up living far far away from this in complete disconnection to our own beauty and who we truly are?

    What if this way of living leads to illnesses and diseases like cancer?

    What if ‘Black women have higher rates of aggressive subtypes of uterine cancer’ as this living far far away from who we truly are as a woman has to have an impact in the gynaecological area, the area that makes a woman’s body different to a man’s?

    What if the rise in uterine cancers is not about the chemicals from the relaxer being the cause but WHY women are going to the relaxers?

    What I know for sure is that there is no post menopausal woman who is chemically straightening their hair that would have started doing this in recent years. That would have started decades ago and so what if the cancer is the trajectory of the life lived in disregard and self-denigration with no connection to the absolute beauty and fullness of what it means to live as a TRUE woman regardless of one’s skin colour?

    What if presenting research studies in this format of the chemical straighteners potentially being the cause is dangerous as without looking at the WHY factor, all that will happen is that women and young girls will look at non-chemical forms of hair straightening without questioning why that behaviour exists?

    What if we allow that to run and then we study post-menopausal black women who used non-chemical hair straighteners for 5 years or more, for example? Will we continue to see higher rates of this disease?

    There is another way to live and even if we did not have our innate quality and beauty nurtured from young it is never too late as we can start now.

    Yes, Black women of any age can reconnect to who they truly are from within by changing the way that we live.

    What if the Back to Basics tools on this website is the place to start?

    Reply
72. 
    Tim Bowyer

    October 25, 2023 at 5:39 am

    The Conversation – 13 October 2023

    Skin Cancer: More People Die from Types that Aren’t Melanoma

    https://theconversation.com/skin-cancer-more-people-die-from-types-that-arent-melanoma-surprise-new-finding-215378

    If you mention skin cancer, most people think of melanoma, the deadliest skin cancer.

    A new study has found that worldwide, more people are now dying of non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC) than melanoma.

    Researchers at the University Hospital of Nice in France used patient data collected by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (part of the World Health Organisation).

    Deaths of Melanoma in 2020 globally:

    Melanoma – 57,000
    NMSC – 63,700

    In some ways, the study upends conventional wisdom on how much of a threat to life NMSC represents.
    NMSC is considered to be less serious than other types of cancer – rarely fatal and left out of national cancer registries’ reports of overall cancer numbers.

    However, “rarely fatal” is not the same as “never fatal”, and if a sufficiently large number of people develop this type of cancer, then that can add up to a lot of deaths.

    Melanoma and NMSC share some features, with both being linked to exposure to ultraviolet radiation (UV) from either the sun or tanning beds. UV is able to produce cancer causing mutations that drive the formation of both melanoma and NMSC.

    The past several decades have seen large increases in the incidences of both types of cancer, as people’s holiday destinations and attitudes to tanning have changed. Most of these cancers occur in white people, but people with darker skin tones can also get skin cancer.

    Unfortunately, it often goes undiagnosed due to a lack of awareness in both patients and dermatologists.

    Melanoma and NMSC do have some important differences though. While UV is a risk factor for both, NMSC is more associated with chronic exposure throughout a person’s lifetime. Consequently, tumours often arise on the face and head.

    In contrast, occasional severe sunburns are more closely linked to melanoma, particularly on the trunk.

    There are two main types of NMSC:
    Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and
    Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC).
    Both arise from a type of skin cell called a keratinocyte.

    Keratinocytes are the main types of cells that make up the epidermis, the outer layer of our skin. Mutations in keratinocytes, caused for example by exposure to UV, can override the internal checks and balances that usually prevent cells from uncontrollably dividing, resulting in a tumour forming.

    In contrast, melanomas occur as a consequence of cancer-activating mutations in a different type of skin cell called a melanocyte. There are about ten times fewer melanocytes than keratinocytes in the epidermis, but they play an important role in protecting our skin from damage by producing melanin. Melanin is the pigment that determines our normal skin colour and which is produced in greater amounts after exposure to UV, causing a tan.

    Most cancer deaths are caused by secondary tumours that arise when cells from the original tumour break away and spread, or metastasise to distant sites in the body. Skin cancers are no exception.

    However, metastasis is a very challenging process for cancer cells.

    They first need to invade surrounding tissue, then survive the stress of transport around the bloodstream before finally being able to establish a colony in an environment that is quite different to the skin.

    Melanoma cells are much more effective at achieving all of the steps of metastasis than NMSC cells are. For example, melanoma cells share some characteristics with cells found in the brain and so can readily adapt to the brain as a new environment, forming secondary tumours there.

    This is the Press Release from the European Academy of Dermatology & Venereology
    https://eadvcongress2023.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/EADV_2023_Press_Release_NMSC_Burden.pdf

    The medical world seems to be finding more and more different types of cancer or variations of cancers that are already so prevalent – Why is this?

    Is it possible that we are not looking at the, what used to be the dreaded ‘C’ word, as we once used to?

    Is it possible that cancer, in its many forms, has become so commonplace that we hardly give it a second thought anymore?

    Why have we become so inured with the rates of cancer?

    Why do we hear stories of someone being ‘cured’ of cancer only to have it come back stronger than before or another cancer pops up in a different part of our bodies?

    Is it possible that we carry on with our life just the same as before we were diagnosed with cancer?

    Why are we not changing our lifestyle when we get diagnosed with cancer?

    This article refers to the sun as a possible cause to contracting this disease.

    According to the figures in this article, about 120,000 people died from melanoma or NMSC.

    If that is the ‘TRUTH’, then with over 7 billion people on this planet, why is there not many more people contracting skin cancer?

    120,000 out of 7 billion + people is a very small percentage.

    Is it possible that the sun simply draws out and exposes any toxins we have in our body and shows it to us in the form of cancer?

    We become very sympathetic when we hear of someone that has been diagnosed with cancer – and the same with any other illness and disease – as if to say ‘poor you for getting that’.

    What if, instead of illness and disease coming “to” us – what if all illness and disease comes “from” us?

    Is it possible then, that all illness and disease comes from us because of the way we choose to live our lives?

    We can blame it on the sun, on the microwave, on the pollution or any other reason.

    But is it possible that we will only get the true answers when we start to look at ourselves first and how we are living?

    Reply
73. 
    Simple Living Global

    November 27, 2023 at 4:06 pm

    University of Bristol – 22 November 2023

    https://www.bristol.ac.uk/news/2023/november/upf-cancer-study.html

    Obesity may not be the only factor to link Ultra-Processed Foods (UPF) to higher risk of mouth, throat and oesophagus cancers, according to a new International study led by researchers from the University of Bristol.

    Lifestyle and diet data was analysed on 450,111 adults over 14 years.

    Previous studies have identified an association between Ultra-Processed Foods consumption and cancer, including a recent study, which looked at the association between UPFs and 34 different cancers in the largest cohort study in Europe.
    https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2542519623000219

    Results showed that eating 10% more Ultra-Processed Foods is associated with –

    23% higher risk of Head and Neck Cancer
    24% higher risk of Oesophageal Adenocarcinoma

    Increased body fat only explained a small proportion of the statistical association between Ultra-Processed Foods consumption and the risk of these upper aerodigestive tract cancers.

    Lead author of the study – Fernanda Morales-Berstein said “Ultra-Processed Foods have been associated with excess weight and increased body fat in several observational studies. This makes sense, as they are generally tasty, convenient and cheap, favouring the consumption of large portions and an excessive number of calories.

    Reply
74. 
    Tim Bowyer

    February 21, 2024 at 3:37 pm

    World Health Organisation – 1st February 2024

    Global cancer burden growing, amidst mounting need for services

    https://www.who.int/news/item/01-02-2024-global-cancer-burden-growing–amidst-mounting-need-for-services

    The World Health Organisation (WHO)’s cancer agency – The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) – released the latest estimates of the global burden of cancer.
    WHO also published survey results from 115 countries, showing a majority of countries do not adequately finance priority cancer and palliative care services, as part of universal health coverage (UHC).

    The IARC estimates, based on the best sources of data available in countries in 2022, highlight the growing burden of cancer, the disproportionate impact on underserved populations and the urgent need to address cancer inequities worldwide.

    In 2022, there were an estimated 20 million new cancer cases and 9.7 million deaths. The estimated number of people who were alive within 5 years following a cancer diagnosis was 53.5 million.
    1 in 5 people develop cancer in their lifetime – 1 in 9 men and 1 in 2 women die from the disease.

    The global WHO survey on UHC and Cancer –
    39% of participating countries covered the basics of cancer management as part of their financed core health services for all citizens.
    28% of participating countries additionally covered care for people who require palliative care, including pain relief in general, and not just linked to cancer.

    Three major Cancer types in 2022:

    • Lung
    • Breast
    • Colorectal

    The new estimates available on IARC’s Global Cancer Observatory show that 10 types of cancer collectively comprised around two-thirds of new cases and deaths globally in 2022.
    Data covers 185 countries and 36 cancers.

    Most commonly occurring new cases:

    • Lung cancer – 2.5 million cases
    • Breast cancer – 2.3 million cases
    • Colorectal cancer – 1.9 million cases
    • Prostate cancer – 1.5 million cases
    • Stomach cancer – 970,000 cases

    Leading cause of Death:

    • Lung cancer – 1.8 million deaths
    • Colorectal cancer – 900,000 deaths
    • Liver cancer – 760,000 deaths
    • Breast cancer – 670,000 deaths
    • Stomach cancer – 660,000 deaths

    Lung cancer’s re-emergence as the most common cancer is likely related to persistent Tobacco use in Asia.

    For women, the most commonly diagnosed Cancer and leading cause of cancer death was breast cancer and lung cancer for men.

    Breast cancer was the most common cancer in women in the vast majority of countries – 157 out of 185.

    Cervical cancer was the 8th most commonly occurring cancer globally and the ninth leading cause of cancer death, accounting for 661,044 new cases and 348,186 deaths.
    It is the most common cancer in women in 25 countries, many of which are in sub-Saharan Africa.

    The Director of the Department of Noncommunicable Diseases at WHO said: “WHO’s new global survey sheds light on major inequalities and lack of financial protection for cancer around the world, with populations, especially in lower income countries, unable to access the basics of cancer care.
    WHO is working intensively with more than 75 governments to develop, finance and implement policies to promote cancer care for all.”

    The rapidly growing cancer burden reflects both population ageing and growth, as well as changes to people’s exposure to risk factors, several of which are associated with socioeconomic development.

    Tobacco, alcohol and obesity are key factors behind the increasing incidence of cancer, with air pollution still a key driver of environmental risk factors.

    Over 35 million new cancer cases are predicted in 2050, a 77% increase from the estimated 20 million cases in 2022

    20 million new cases diagnosed in 2022 – shouldn’t we be going ‘WHAT?’ at hearing this statistic?

    Over 35 million new cancer cases predicted by 2050 – that’s only 16 years away.

    A 77% INCREASE in 16 years – What is going on?

    Why are there so many people getting Cancer?

    Why are there so many different forms of Cancer?

    Is it something about how we are living our lives?

    Is it possible that getting cancer isn’t because we are ‘unlucky’ but simply a manifestation of how we live our lives?

    Doesn’t it make sense that, if we choose to live our lives in total irresponsibility, disregard, in abuse, lacking accountability, this is our bodies way of asking us to look at our wayward lifestyles?

    The figures for 2050 are horrifying – but what if the figures are an underestimation?

    Reply