Today I will be discussing what really causes cancer. So many people and doctors will automatically blame genetics for a cancer diagnosis. I immediately started thinking about that when I was diagnosed and I couldn’t understand how I got this disease when it didn’t run in my family. Well, that is because inherited genetic defects only account for a very small percentage of cancers! Yes, that is true.
Only five to 10 per cent of cancers are actually hereditary, the rest is due to lifestyle and environmental factors. Read More
The vast majority of cancer (about 90 percent) occur by chance due to what we call “sporadic mutations,” and it’s only five percent to 10 percent that are due to genes that we’re born with. Read More
I want to encourage you not to go down the rabbit hole of blaming genes if you have been diagnosed with uterine cancer. There is only one inherited genetic link to this type of cancer and that is a syndrome called Lynch Syndrome. This is an inherited genetic defect that can increase a person’s risk for developing colorectal and endometrial cancers and it can be tested for. I had this testing done and thankfully I did not have this defect. I recommend discussing this with your doctor right away.
WHAT ARE THE REAL CAUSES OF CANCER?
So what does lead to a cancer diagnosis if it’s not genetics? Lifestyle and environmental causes are the number one factors as much as we may not want to believe that or face it. Let’s be honest, it would be easier to say it’s my genes, I inherited this and had no chance, but that leaves you in a victim role and mentality.
In reality, you do not have to be a victim of faulty genes and there are so many things you can do to take control of the situation right now and start to heal and go on to survive this disease!
Here is a list of the most common risks for cancer, but I’m sure does not include everything. It is unlikely that one single thing causes cancer, but a combination of things. Look at the list carefully, but be aware it is in no particular order.
18 FACTORS THAT INCREASE YOUR RISK FOR CANCER
- Obesity
- Diabetes
- Smoking, Alcohol, Drugs and Medications
- Stress (emotional, psychological, relational)
- Toxic chemicals in the environment and heavy metal toxicity
- Physical stress – either lack of or too much exercise
- Free radicals and oxidative stress in the body
- Infectious diseases – viral, bacterial, fungal, parasites (i.e. Epstein Barr virus, Lyme disease, Helicobacter pylori, mold, and Herpes virus infections to name a few)
- Modern Medicine – Radiation, drugs, chemotherapy, biopsies. It is well known that many people don’t die from the cancer, but die from the treatments!
- Not enough sunlight (lack of Vitamin D)
- Low body temperature
- Carbon monoxide build up in the body, mostly from fast, shallow, chest breathing
- Dehydration
- Nutrition – vitamin, mineral, and other deficiencies, excess sugar, processed foods, unnatural ingredients in foods, GMOs, and more.
- Dentistry – root canals, mercury fillings, cavitations
- Covid vaccines and possibly covid infection and spike proteins
- Poor gut health such as small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, irritable bowel syndrome, leaky gut, irritable bowel disease, and more
- Chronic insomnia
HOW DO THESE FACTORS INCREASE YOUR RISK FOR CANCER?
- Increasing inflammation in the body.
- Suppressing or weakening the immune system, which is needed to destroy circulating cancer cells that are forming.
- Increasing chances for mutations in the DNA of normal cells. Cancer occurs when the DNA of a normal cell is damaged, leading to mutations. These mutations can turn off tumor suppressor genes (that stop cell growth) and turn on proto-oncogenes (that help cells grow and proliferate), which can lead to uncontrolled cell division and formation of tumors.
- Increasing blood sugar, which feeds cancer cells and creates inflammation.
I had 16 of the above 18 links to cancer!!! Once I realized this, I was not surprised by my diagnosis anymore. Fortunately, most of these are things that can be addressed, changed and fixed and that is exactly what I set out to do.
It is so important to get our bodies and minds healthy again. Please look at this list carefully and see which factors are affecting you. Some of these things you may not know yet and require further testing.
For instance, I had tests done for infectious diseases and vitamin and mineral deficiencies among other things. I was stunned to learn I had multiple infectious diseases including mold, parasites, candida overgrowth (a type of yeast), helicobacter pylori and more and I was very low on Vitamin D.
I was also taking several different over the counter and prescription medications for pain and insomnia. I had lost count of the antibiotics I had been on prior to my diagnosis with no probiotics to counteract the effects on my gut microbiome! Little did I know how much all this was damaging my body.
One other factor in endometrial cancer specifically is hormone replacement therapy, so please talk to your doctor about this if you are taking hormones for menopause or other gynecologic problems as you will want to get off of them as soon as possible.
I believe once you get over the shock of the initial diagnosis and really start to think about things, you may intuitively know what caused your cancer. Often times the cancer has been developing over time (months to years), and then there is a major life event or catalyst that causes the cancer to take off.
After learning all the things I did, I firmly believe I developed cancer due to multiple things including stress, emotional and physical traumas, infections, very poor gut health, hormone use and a terrible diet. The final blow (catalyst) was the loss of my beloved dog.
WHAT DO YOU THINK CAUSED YOUR CANCER?
As you go through this list, ask yourself what you think contributed to your diagnosis or that of your loved one? Be really honest with yourself. It’s hard to do, but important. Once you have an idea what led to the problem you can start to address it.
Your oncologist or primary care physician will not discuss all of this with you. They will not test you for mold or small intestinal bacterial overgrowth in your gut, or heavy metal toxicities. They will simply recommend treatments, which include the standard of care surgery, chemotherapy, and/or radiation therapy. All of that may be beneficial or harmful depending on how healthy you are going into the treatment phase.
I personally, was very unhealthy without even realizing it. I talked to my primary care doctor, who was very understanding and open minded enough to do a lot of the tests I asked for including vitamin D, heavy metal testing, testing for Lyme disease, Epstein Barre virus, inflammatory markers and other things. I would encourage you to really think about all of this and talk to your primary care doctor or a naturopathic doctor about how to delve into these causes further so you can address them. It will definitely improve your chances for a full recovery!
SIMPLE THINGS YOU CAN DO TODAY TO START ON YOUR HEALING JOURNEY
- AFFIRMATIONS AND A GRATITUDE LIST
Some things that helped me tremendously soon after I was diagnosed were to start saying positive affirmations all day long and writing a gratitude list every single day.
When you are facing death, you suddenly remember how valuable life is and even little things have way more significance. This became very clear to me early on.
I found it very helpful to remember all the things I was grateful for and write them down each day and it gave me a lot of comfort. I wanted to flood my mind with positive thoughts of healing, health, joy and happiness instead of the usual negative things that used to fill my brain. I will list some affirmations I used below.
10 positive affirmations I used a lot!
- I am healed, I am healthy, I am well.
- My body has a remarkable ability to heal itself.
- I am a beloved child of God and God lovingly takes care of me now and forevermore.
- I am in the right place, at the right time, doing the right thing.
- Everyday in every way I am getting better and better.
- I love and approve of myself.
- I am in perfect health, I am happy, I am strong.
- I am worthy and deserving of the best that life has to offer and I accept it now.
- Everything is working together for my highest good and out of this experience only good will come.
- I am grateful to be alive and well with a blessed future.
I encourage you to come up with your own affirmations and start saying them over and over in your mind or out loud every day. Write them down where you can see them throughout the day.
It’s so important to change your mindset from negativity and hopelessness to belief, positivity and possibility! Instead of saying, “what’s wrong with me?” change it to “what can I do for my body?” It can be done!
- KEEPING A DAILY JOURNAL
I also started keeping a daily journal of how I was feeling, what I ate, the supplements I took and more, as the tracking really gave me a sense of control when my life felt out of control. It is also helpful because you can monitor what is working or not. Someday you may want to look back on those journals and write about your healing journey in a book or a blog to help others along the way or just realize how strong you are!
We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose. – Romans 8:28