Week 7: Cell Biology and Cancer

Week 7: Cancer

How sophisticated is our understanding of cancer?

Cancer cells are abnormal cells whose regulating normal cell division is disrupted. Cancer develops when normal cells acquire abnormal functions through mutations that can occur through environmental factors such as cigarette smoking, UV lights, X-Rays, chemicals, and viruses. Usually- it takes around four to seven of these cancer-causing influences for a normal cell to go through a few premalignant stages before becoming a malignant, invasive, cancer. In cancer cells, the normal control systems that usually prevent cells from over-proliferating and invading tissues are disabled, causing abnormal reproduction, changes to cell structure, decreased cell adhesion, and production of new enzymes. The abnormalities in cancer cells usually result from mutations in protein-encoding genes that regulate cell division.

How does a TCM approach to cancer differ?

The TCM approach to cancer differs from the allopathic approach to cancer in that it includes a more holistic look at the break-down of organs, meridians, etc., as opposed to just trying to eradicate the cancerous cells by direct attack. TCM believes that cancerous cells are produced because of a weakened body and organs- and that unless you address the organ/meridian dysfunction and lifestyle choices that contributed to the cancer, that traditional forms of cancer therapy- such as radiation and chemotherapy- will not address the diseased body that gave rise to the cancerous cells. In fact- chemotherapy- while klling the cancer cells directly- also kills other cells in the body and makes one even weaker- so that the body is still a walking host of dysfunction easily habitable by other diseases including the cancer- in the future.

Are our genes still being shaped by natural selection?

'Natural' is a term that uneasily sits side by side with the amount of unnatural environmental pollutants and food toxins/pesticides that we are exposed to daily and with which our bodies must deal- creating a toxic soup of both natural and unnatural elements within usl. The idea of 'Natural Selection' is tantamount with the Darwinian idea of 'Survival of the Fittest.' In the case of cancer- it is not the cells that are fittest that survive- it is the cancerous cells whose normal functions have been so disrupted that in worst case scenario- they become malignant and actually start to invade other cells. They are not being 'naturally selected' due to their ability to optimize survival of the host or themselves- as when they die- their host also dies. Their is nothing naturally selective about death and death. It's a lose-lose situation for the cancer and the host.