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  • Julianna Sweeney
    • May 6, 2022

The Top 7 Cancer Triggers You Should Know About

Did you know that as of right now in the US, 1 in 2 men and 1 in 3 women are destined to get some kind of cancer at some point in their life? And that number is going to even out to 50% for everyone in the next few decades. One of the craziest facts I recently learned was that between 1973-2015 alone (42 years) there was a 30% increase of cancer incidents - That's INSANE.


Even though mortality rates for many cancers are steadily decreasing due to increasingly better screening processes and early detections, the fact that so many of us will be directly affected by this infliction at some point in our life is devastating to say the least.


There are so many different causes for cancer that it can seem impossible to wrap your head around how to prevent it. The most current research identifies 7 top triggers that are directly linked to cancer. It's scary to know how many moving pieces are a part of this equation, but it's not until we know what they are that we can pivot our lifestyle away from them as much as possible.


The 7 Cancer Triggers You Should Know About (& How To Avoid Them)

1. The "SAD" diet

The "Standard American Diet" is trademarked by its highly processed and preservative-ridden foods. It typically consists of an overabundance of carbs and sugar and an insufficient amount of whole, natural, nutrient-rich foods. When you walk into a grocery store, the majority of what you see belongs to this diet. Not only have many preservatives and highly processed foods been linked to cancer, they also cause a myriad of other health issues. If you take anything away from this though, it's that cancer cells thrive on sugar so cutting out or minimizing your sugar intake is a HUGE first step.

  • Make sure you're eating natural, nutrient-rich, Whole Foods

  • Stay away from processed foods (stuff that comes out of a box/plastic bag)

  • Minimize/cut out the sugar (carbs included - they turn to sugar during digestion)

  • Make sure you're getting all of the nutrients that you need (through natural supplements if you are unable to get all you need from your food intake)

  • Meal prep and eat at home more often than going out

  • Swap out your oils! (See this post for more details)


2. Environmental Toxins

Did you know that the average person is exposed to approx. 127 chemicals EVERY DAY... and that's just from common body care products (see this post for more details). When you add in the chemicals in commercialized processed foods, pollutants in the air, byproducts and fluoride in tap water, dangerously high EMFs and more, you've got a recipe for a toxic overload.

  • Know the ingredients in the products that you use daily (everything from soaps to makeup to lotion to sunscreen to deodorant to shampoo and more)

  • Make sure you are drinking filtered or spring water (spring water is always better but when in doubt, filtered is better than nothing) and try to refrain from using plastic water bottles for daily use

  • Minimize your phone use and don't keep your devices on your person (keep on a table, in your purse, in a bag, etc)


3. Physical and Hormonal Stress

We're only about one billionth physical matter - the rest is all energy! Every function of our bodies is controlled by the nervous system through the flow of energy across electrical pathways. These pathways can become blocked when we experience different kinds of stress. Did you know that chronic or long term stress can lead to inflammation, hormonal imbalance and cancer? Lack of restful sleep will also cause imbalances to your energy (see this post for tips on how to have a great night sleep).

  • Find ways to manage and/or diminish your stress (exercise, hobbies, stretching, meditation, talking to someone, getting professional help, etc.)

  • Increase your good habits and leave behind your bad habits (see this post for help)

  • Make sure that you are getting restful nights of sleep - even if you're not sleeping for a long time, you should be getting deep sleep rotations


4. Emotional Wounds

"One of the biggest stressors are emotional wounds, including PTSD, that are left unhealed. Perhaps the biggest breakthrough in the understanding between the emotions and cancer occurred through the work of Dr. C.W. Brodie. During the course of 30 years working with patients, he realized that those who had cancer had certain traits in common. Many of them had to do with patterns of repressed emotions, chronic stress and lack of self-care. Most cancer patients he saw also had unresolved traumas from childhood. Healing our emotional wounds isn’t always easy, but it is absolutely necessary if we are to truly heal." (source)

  • Talk through your wounds with a professional

  • Practice self-care and do stuff that makes you happy

  • Don't hold in or repress what you're feeling - let it out and deal with it responsibly


5. Dental Toxins

Your toothpaste most likely has ingredients that have been linked to cancer (see this post for more information). Heavy metals, especially mercury from amalgams, can weaken your immune system and cause DNA damage.

  • Be aware of the ingredients in your toothpaste (I'm on the hunt for more toothpaste brands that are all natural but Lumineux is the only brand I've found so far)

  • Contact your dentist if you've had "silver" fillings that may contain toxic mercury

  • Be sure to floss

  • If you use mouthwash, make sure that you dilute it and don't use it every day


6. Inflammation

Dozens of studies have been shown to link cancer to chronic inflammation. Specifically, inflammation has been shown to lead to the production of cancer stem cells which are responsible for the reoccurrence and spread of cancer.

  • Minimize consumption of inflammatory foods

  • Increase consumption of anti-inflammatory foods

  • Maintain a healthy weight

  • Control your blood sugar levels

  • Manage your stress levels


7. Medically Induced Triggers

This is probably the craziest finding... "Believe it or not, the very tools that the conventional medical establishment uses to treat cancer can often be the cause of it. Chemotherapy improves a person’s chances of survival by only about 2%,yet studies have found that radiation and chemotherapy can actually raise the malignancy rate of cancer cells. At the same time, the common Breast Cancer drug Tamoxifen has been shown to double, and sometimes quadruple, the risk of endometrial cancer within six years. CT scans, X rays, radiation therapy, mammograms, biopsies and some kinds of surgery may also raise your risk of cancer." (source)




The biggest thing to takeaway is that the more you can do on the front end to minimize your chances of getting cancer, the better. Taking a more natural approach to life is so important. It's not to say that you can't indulge the occasional junk food binge or dance around a bad habit here or there - we're all human and life is just too short - but 80-90% of the time, try to maintain that natural lifestyle.


It all leads to a positive chain reaction that could really help you and your loved ones in the long run. No one should ever have to deal with cancer... but if you do, keep your head up, stay strong, say your prayers and kick its ass!


I hope this helps a little bit, at least to get you started on your research and/or healthy lifestyle journey. Let me know what you think!


Sending love always,

J.S.


 

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