Cancer and Wisdom of the Body: New Medicine

A simple model and a short narrative offer a new insight into some chronic diseases like, diabetes mellitus, Parkinson’s disease,. and secondary polycythemia. It is applied here to cancer.

A simple model

Tumor (neoplasm) is the hallmark of cancer. It is assumed here that it produces a substitute for a vital substance (VS) required by the organism. Tumor size is driven by a demand for this vital substance (VS) by organism, and is controlled by WOB. Tumor size depends on birth and death rates of its cells. When demand for VS is high, tumor cell birth rate rises, death rate declines, and tumor grows. When demand declines tumor cell birth rate declines, death rate rises, and tumor shrinks.

We shall discuss first how a demand for VS drives the tumor. The role of environment and mind will be discussed later on. Demand for VS is the only drive for tumor cell birth.

Solution

WOB controls all processes and adjusts them so as to meet the requirements of the organism. WOB responds also to the mind, which receives signals and directives from society (culture). The adjustment of processes at any instant is called WOB solution. It is always the most optimal solution in circumstances. This is the modern interpretation of Galen’s principle: Nothing is done by Nature in vain.

Tumor growth

This optimality principle underlies also the cancer evolution. At any instance WOB adjusts tumor cell production to the demands of the organism for VS, and is most optimal. Lack of VS results in cachexia.

Cancer proceeds through three phases:

1. Full compensation when tumor cell birth and death rates are high and equal, and tumor is small, and patient feels healthy (WOB does not complain).
2. Decompensation, when tumor cell birth and death rates are high and death rate is lower than birth rate. Tumor seeds metastases and becomes visible. Patient feels sick, and suffers from secondary manifestations due to tumor invasion into other tissues.
3. Total decompensation: Extensive cachexia.

Rising demand for VS by the organism drives the disease. VS nature and the causes of its depletion are still unknown, however it is assumed here that VS deficiency promotes cachexia.

Full compensation

Cancer starts with rising tumor cell birth and death rates. Initially they are equal and tumor is small (pre-clinical phase). As organism requires more and more VS substitute, tumor starts growing.. Clinical manifestations are interpreted from WOB perspective. In order to diminish demand for VS WOB catabolizes tissues, patient loses weight, and disease enters its second phase. WOB main task is to prevent cachexia, and when it fails tumor grows faster.

Decompensation

VS deficiency continually deepens. In order to raise VS substitute production tumor seeds metastases. They settle in the connective tissue of organs where they grow without damaging organ function. Favored sites are retroperitoneum, mediastinum, and bone marrow. As they continue growing occasionally one will damage an organ, and WOB sends to mind a pain signal, as if saying: "Get help to correct the damage!"

All along disease progression, WOB solution remains the most optimal under circumstances. In order to keep the patient alive it has to nurture metastasis and give up peripheral processes, otherwise patient will die from cachexia. WOB task is to maintain life at all cost. Even cachexia may be regarded as WOB effort to reduce the demand for VS.

Therapy

WOB solutions do not meet patient's (mind) expectations, who insists on a better life. Physician has two main responsibilities: To help where WOB failed, and to improve patient's quality of life. All this without interfering too much with WOB solutions. He has to work out a compromise between WOB and mind demands. Since patient cannot be cured, the main objective is to slow down disease progression. The two major threats to the patient are tumor and metastasis. Any attempt to diminish tumor mass promotes cachexia and endangers the patient. Physician ought therefore attempt to lower demand for VS.

Meditation

During sleep demand for all metabolites as well as VS is low. Patient should therefore be encouraged to sleep at least eight hours. He may have to learn how to sleep that long. A meditating patient may attain a sleep like condition while maintaining his full consciousness. His muscles relax, heart beats slower, and so is breathing, and VS demand declines. Meditation has yet another advantage. Patient learns how to manage his worries and ignore the negative impact on himself by society and culture. This condition is called mind-cancer. It raises VS demand, and is discussed elsewhere. Meditation introduces the patient to a new life. From now on his mission is to learn how to slow down cancer progression.

Sport

Is risky, yet with some advantages. Body building may not be advised since it increases demand for VS. Aerobic exercises may be helpful, since organism learns how to function efficiently and utilize less VS.

Diet

Obesity utilizes energy and VS. Reducing weight slows down cancer progression. This may seem odd, since weight loss accompanies cancer and one is inclined to replenish lost calories. Let's remember that all cancer manifestation are part of a WOB solution, and so is weight loss. At any instant WOB adjusts weight in an optimal fashion, and rejects any excess. Indeed efforts to over feed the patient, or apply hyperalimentation, fail. WOB handles also obesity, however from physician's perspective, weight loss reduces demand for VS and slows down cancer progression. Any weight reduction diet is a compromise between WOB and mind demands.

Alternative healers apply many kinds of diet, e.g. Ann Wigmore's, or macrobiotics, which seem promising, and ought therefore be tested for their capacity to reduce VS demand by the organism. The ultimate test would be whether a diet slows down cancer progression.

Chemotherapy

Has to be a last resort measure since tumor reduction promotes cachexia. To a lesser extent chemotherapy kills also normal cells and reduces demand for VS. This effect is more pronounced in tamoxifen, which induces ovarian ablation (castration), hypotrophy of estrogen target organs, and lowers demand for VS. Although tamoxifen may slow down cancer progression it has undesired side effects, like uterine cancer, which indicates that tamoxifen may promote cachexia. One might therefore prefer surgical ablation of the ovary instead.

Aggressive chemotherapy is extremely dangerous, and WOB protects itself by making chemotherapy less and less effective, which is known as resistance to chemotherapy.