I’m a great fan of TED videos. For an investment of 15 minutes or so, you get a front row view into the mind of a thought leader in science, relationships, business…you name it, it’s all there.
I’m extra-enthused about a recent talk by Dr. Mina Bissell. Dr. Bissell has been studying whether it’s possible to modify the behavior of cancer cells by modifying their surroundings.
Her recent experiments answer this question with a resounding “yes”. Cancer cells removed from the unhealthy internal environment which created them and instilled into the unsullied environment of an embryo didn’t form new tumors.
A foundational precept of natural medicine is belief in the healing power of Nature. This belief holds that all life forms, including the human body, evolved with self-healing mechanisms that keep the organism disease-free. If disease symptoms occur, they signal that the self-healing mechanisms are out of balance. Treating the symptoms doesn’t cure disease, as the underlying imbalance still exists and will cause the symptoms to recur over time. Real cure comes from identifying and righting the underlying imbalance that allowed the disease to progress.
Dr. Bissell’s experiments align beautifully with this concept. Cancer cells contain mutated genes (oncogenes) which drive their deviant behavior. Western cancer treatment removes or eradicates these malfunctioning cells via some combination of surgery, chemotherapy and radiation. This may be necessary to alleviate an imminent threat to life.
But Dr. Bissell’s experiments suggest that the behavior of these cells is not strictly driven by their mutations. The environment surrounding cancer cells has everything to do with whether their mutations will threaten life, or remain dormant. Thus, removing cancerous cells without healing the environment that encouraged them to form tumors leaves the door open to further cancer down the line. If we want to prevent cancer recurrence, we must “clean up” our internal environment.
How do we do this? Following Dr. Bissell’s discoveries, we need to ask: what influences have transformed us from babies with bodies capable of normalizing cancer cells, to adults who have lost that ability? These influences are far-ranging, but as you may have guessed are largely associated with our lifestyles.
Stay tuned to this blog and to my Facebook page for lots of tips about cancer prevention by maintaining a healthy internal environment. In the meantime, here’s the inspiring talk by Dr. Bissell: