The Hook

50 years ago there were

50 years ago there were hardly any cancers and never in children, no breast cancers to speak of.

Today's wealth creation with hundreds of thousands of chemicals in our food, air and water is obviously the cause, but politicians are scared to admit it, as it would discourage "investors".

Yes, investors in very profitable cancer causing activities.

Last year I had to have 5 operations, 44 days in hospital, 3 weeks in intensive care on life support.

I hope neither Jack, or anybody, will have to go through such agonies, and that finally he may get enough guts to speak up.

Just wait what will happen when the results of the ultimate crime wave, the GM foods, start coming in without the corporations and governments being able to cover them up.

Ed Deak.

Causes of Cancer

I wish Jack well. Since his father had prostrate cancer, Jack would have likely been screened, so hopefully it has been caught early.

There are multiple causes for cancer. Toxins have a role to play, although it is a minor one.

Viruses play a role, for instance HPV is related to cervical cancer.

By far the largest factor is our modern lifestyle, specifically diet and exercise.

There is a side effect of the presence of insulin in the bloodstream called apoptosis. Apoptosis prevents damaged cells from being destroyed.

If these damaged cells reproduce, they can become cancerous.

Insulin is produced by the pancreas in response to elevated blood sugars.

Cancerous cells reproduce at a much faster rate than surrounding cells. The metabolic requirements for cancer cells is huge in relation to surrounding tissue.

Elevated blood sugars is rocket fuel for cancer cells, feeding the huge metabolic demand of the growing tumor.

The increase in cancer in our society has followed the increase in obesity in our society.

Toxin buffet

I cannot accept the toxins produced in wealth creation play a minor role in the development of cancer or other forms of disease.

I 'am a person who has been wronged by the use of asbestos and live my life in fear of cancer.

To those that want to justify to themselves that toxins are minor causes of cancer by all means tell yourself that, but I don't believe it for a fraction of a second.

Illahie, for your info

Years ago I was in a Federal Government book store in downtown Vancouver. One publication had a listings and colour coded maps of all the sicknesses, illnesses, and disieses across Canada. Under "cancers" there were 2 places in Canada that had red dots which signified a high portion per population. One was Missasauga Ont. and the other was Hope BC. My parents lived in Hope and both died in Hope from Cancer. Every time I went to visit my parents before they died they were telling me who was latest to get cancer or who had just died of it. Outside my parents kitchen sink window is Mt. Hope which is huge and dominated the view. My mother said at times the smog is so bad that they couldn't even see the mountain. It has been proven that the smog that gets pushed up from the lower mainland also comes up from the Seattle area. And oh yeah, the air stunk too. I can go on and on with other facts about cancers linked to enviroment. Please don't try to give a snow-job to a snowman.

Toxins are bad things

Noggy above was exposed to asbestos. That sucks, it is a known and dangerous carcinogen. Many people have been exposed to tobacco, that sucks as well. The number of people who develop cancer from asbestos exposure is relatively small. But if you are the person affected it is absolutely huge.

There is not much that people can do to lower their health risks due to past exposure.

We now know how lifestyle affects our chances of developing cancer. We now know how to minimize apoptosis, and therefore how to manage one of the biggest risks to developing cancer. That is good. Unlike past exposures, it is something that we have control over.

I wonder how healthy we'd be if.....

- Health Canada had even a fraction of the budget to educate Canadians on the danger of sugary, fatty foods that the junk food industry has to push them on us

- There had to be a review of all new chemicals used in industry, particularly in food containers, clothing, bedding and furniture

- Environmental impacts of job-producing projects were given the same weight as economic impacts

Wake up, people. We're sacrificing our lives and health to the one true god of The Economy. And there are no politicians in sight who have the intestinal fortitude to stand up and say it's wrong.

..... Sadly, and ironically, not even Layton

...

Look at the garbage junkfood

Look at the garbage junkfood advertised on TV, with disgusting, greasy meat patties larger than the buns, then slices of bacon on top.

Plus-plus- plus Is there any surprise that we can see people all over with asses the size of the rears of aircraft carriers.?

By the way, I wasn't like that, we're eating the best, mostly home grown organic meats and foods, but I have been exposed to fruit tree spray chemicals over 50 years ago, when they were still considered "safe". All my old workmates have long died of multiple cancers. I was paralyzed for months with heavy metal poisoning years ago, then the cancer hit me too.

Now workers wear protective suits making them look like deep sea divers, but people, including little children, are forced to eat the vegetables and fruits covered with poisons that can not be washed off, but they're told that it is "healthy" to eat more vegies, because nobody knows what's covering them.

When we're forced to buy greens in the winter, they often end up in the garbage, because we can taste the chemicals used to grow and spray them with.

Ed Deak.

Fiat lux

Eating meats and fats does not cause cancer.
Protein and lypid consumption does not elevate blood sugar levels, and the accompaning insulin response.

Eating pancakes with maple syrup on top does.

I neglected to mention

I have neglected to mention another factor- genetics. Jack Layton's prostate cancer could very well have a genetic component, it is important in breast cancer as well.

The elephant in the room however is the suspension of apoptosis, as a side effect of the insulin response.

asbestos

lllahie

I hope I have my facts correct but I believe about 1/3 of work related deaths in Canada are related to asbestos. There are also cancer deaths associated with asbestos that go unrecorded.

There will be an increasing number of asbestos related cancer deaths during 2015 - 2020. Many people will become a statistic of the industrial revolution.

What I find to be a bit of a puzzle is the connection that was made between asbestos and health problems in the late 1800s.

Noggy

I think that Canadians have had high exposure levels to asbestos due in part to asbestos mining, transporting and handling.

I believe that the cancer risk due to asbestos itself is lower than the cancer risk due to smoking. I think that the cancer risk due to smoking is about 15 percent. The cancer risk due to asbestos exposure is about 3 percent.

The biggest risk is where a person is exposed to both asbestos and tobacco. The cancer risk then skyrockets.

POP insulin pancreatic cancer article

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/health/Drinking+linked+cancer+pancreas+study/2535340/story.html

50 years ago there were

50 years ago people died a lot younger, from the flu, polio, measles, mumps, etc. Doctors did few autopsies, so the number that died from cancer with flu as more obvious. I know a woman, still alive, that had breast cancer more than 40 years ago in her 30s. Many people are dying from chronic diseases because they live longer.

D'uh!

Don't get in the economy's way!

Besides, even your death will be a boon for the economy!