What is Cancer? Think of it as a virus to our cellular HTML

What is  Cancer – No – Life does not cause cancer as some think.  This thought often engrains a sense of helplessness within. The truth is, if we understand what cancer is, it helps us better understand prevention – give ourselves control and motivation…

A life to prevent cancer is a life to prevent all of our chronic illnesses, and infuses us with energy & power.   Think of cancer as a virus that has messed with the HTML of or cell’s genetic code.

Take a look at a beautiful website – say this one…..behind every beautiful site is HTML HyperText Markup Language, the “mother tongue” of our web browsers. Behind our being, is genetic code that dictates every cell of who we are. If we have one wrong little character in the HTML of our website it can completely destroy the function of that website. Well, the same is true for our genetic code.

Now, what is cancer? Cancer is a genetic mutation, something has reprogrammed the HTML of that cell. That cell is now reproducing incorrectly.  If our ecosystem is unable to shut that cell down, there is trouble. If our ecosystem is not optimized, the genetic saboteur is allowed to reproduce, and that deadly coding is reproduced. Here lies the problem why people think “life causes cancer”….

In our “advanced” world….we have created thousands of potential mutagens to destroy cell stability

Our bodies are a wonderland. Wonderland has an inner ecosystem that like any ecosystem needs to be kept in balance.  Chinese medicine describes our flow of Qi. Without the flow of Qi, our life’s force, the ecosystem is jolted out of balance.

We live in a world that is constantly bombarding our ecosystem.  Many times we are responsible for that attack: smoking, poor food choices, lack of physical activity…. And many times we do not know we are exposed to attacks on that biochemical terrain. Enter illness and disease.

Cancer is thought to be only 5-10% genetic. The rest is lifestyle, however, as mentioned above, our lifestyles consist of unknown as well as known carcinogens…..exposures that cause a cell to mutate.

Now……how magical are the powers of the right exercise? Exercise and nutrition are our body guards. When carcinogens attack, by empowering our body with the strongest possible biochemical terrain, one that is totally inhospitable to mutagens, we are able to fight the attacker and win.

Attackers (aka carcinogens and pathogens):

Certain chemicals (in our food, in our air, in our meds, in our soils……..)

Viruses and bacteria

Geophysical exposures, radiation

Hormonal imbalances…..including our big wide world of phytoestrogens endocrine disrupters

Some nasty lifestyle choices: smoking, sitting, poor food choices, stress, alcohol….

Our body depends on us to supply it with sustenance to empower the ecosystem

Nutrition…the right exercise optimizes our digestive system for absorption of the good and destruction of the bad

Exercise

Physical activity

Sleep

Minimize exposure to carcinogens, mutagens, pathogens

When the body is unable to fight intruders, that is when the biochemical terrain allows mutated cells, aka cancer cells, to reproduce…and reproduce……until “we have cancer”. It is believed that everyone of us have cancerous cells lurking within, our goal is that we have the defences to shut down those cells, or force what is called aptosis – cell suicide.

Front and center to the body’s defences are our immune and circulatory systems.

Our immune system is a pumpless system.  In other words, it can produce all of the wonderful superheroes in the world (lymphocytes, macrophages, neutrophils, immunoglobins….) but if there is no pumping action from our muscles, or no muscles, the immune system can’t do its job.

Exercise is imperative for optimizing our body’s performance. Every study shows us that exercise and physical activity are an absolute necessity for every organ system of the body, and a necessity, dare I say the “managing partner” to integrative oncology.

Exercise is vital to the destruction of cancer at every level:

Prevention: enabling the body to kill those intrusions, to build a strong inner ecosystem

Management: make it through treatment, minimizing risks of side effects of treatment, fighting fatigue, and many studies tell us help better respond to treatment, building back musculoskeletal challenges created by the cancer and the treatment.

Prevention of recurrence. Rebuilding and equipping the immune system

A topic for another article is exercise at the cellular level, which is vital for prevention, recovery, and prevention of recurrence….and anti aging and anti all of our chronic illnesses….the real science geek, yes, however, this really helps us understand cancer prevention & management.

Let’s summarize…..

What is cancer? Cancer occurs because their has been a genetic mutation, a change to the genetic code. The body has been attacked..the body needs to fight the attacker.

• The right exercise enables the body to fight that invasion, through it’s many magical ways, some known, and we still have many ways yet to discover.
• Food Choices are critical in either feeding or destroying cancer cells
• Being aware of environmental exposures, choices
• Eliminating oxidative stressors
• Lifestyle choices

yes….much is within our control

Corporate Health Programs – What an Incredible Way to Make the World A Healthier Happier Place…..so we make them affordable to EVERYONE……

Shira@BestInCorporateHealth.com

We look forward to customizing your employee wellness programs!

Chief Health Enthusiast – Best In Corporate Health and Best In Health Radio

Employee Wellness Toronto, Ontario…offered internationally

• Shira is regularly consulted by Naturopaths, oncologists, health coaches on cancer exercise and exercise adherence.
• Has assembled over 20 health and fitness professionals with varying specialties to bring to corporate wellness programs
• Platforms include: Speaking, One-one/group health coaching, Retreats, Course development for in house delivery, Metrics to measure success available, Partners always included
• Now offering live interactive webinars, just as if each participant has a personal health coach – making corporate wellness programs affordable to all.
• Shira has been interviewed & published in hundreds of resources over the last 12 years:

Articles featured in: ezines, ArticlesInk, European Registry of Exercise Professionals, The National Post, Investment Executive Magazine, Directory of Greater Toronto, Canadian Leukemia & Lymphoma Association, Prostate Cancer Canada, Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada, Anytime Fitness, Today’s Black Woman, Today’s Seniors, Medical Fitness Network, FORCE (Facing Our Risk of Cancer Empowered), Willow (Breast & Hereditary Cancer Support),

Cancer Exercise Training Institute, Urban Poling for Breast Cancer, ROW – Recovery on Water for Breast Cancer

Shira Litwack, Medical fitness professional |Cancer Exercise Specialist|Personal & Corporate Health Coach | Fitness For Disease Recovery| Industry Expert Cancer Exercise

Director of International Relations Cancer Exercise Training Institute Master Trainer

Radio talk show host/Guest/Producer Health & Fitness Radio

BSc Psychology & Chemistry| Medical Exercise Specialist|Holistic Nutrition| Addiction Recovery|Total of 18 exercise designations