Still Waters Posted October 14, 2010 #1 Share Posted October 14, 2010 Cancer is a modern man-made disease caused by the excesses of modern life, a new study suggests. Researchers looking at almost a thousand mummies from ancient Egypt and South America found only a handful suffered from cancer when now it accounts for nearly one in three deaths. The findings suggest that it is modern lifestyles and pollution levels caused by industry that are the main cause of the disease and that it is not a naturally occurring condition. The study showed the disease rate has risen dramatically since the Industrial Revolution, in particular childhood cancer – proving that the rise is not simply due to people living longer. Now it is hoped that it could lead to better understanding of the origins of cancer and to new treatments for the disease which claims more than 150,000 lives a year in the UK alone. Read more... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
questionmark Posted October 14, 2010 #2 Share Posted October 14, 2010 Hmmm... then how come St. Antonius of Padua (about 1200 CE) went to a convent after seeing the cancer destroyed breast of his lover? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Power Lust Posted October 14, 2010 #3 Share Posted October 14, 2010 One cause of cancer is the placebo effect. The mediatells you that unless you live this way you are more susceptable to this kind of illness is bound to have a negative effect on some people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Psykonos Posted October 14, 2010 #4 Share Posted October 14, 2010 Hmmm... then how come St. Antonius of Padua (about 1200 CE) went to a convent after seeing the cancer destroyed breast of his lover? From the article: "Researchers looking at almost a thousand mummies from ancient Egypt and South America found only a handful suffered from cancer when now it accounts for nearly one in three deaths." It seems like it was still around, just less common from their assertion. The article doesn't surprise me. Our environments are so polluted I am surprised it's not even more common. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
questionmark Posted October 14, 2010 #5 Share Posted October 14, 2010 From the article: "Researchers looking at almost a thousand mummies from ancient Egypt and South America found only a handful suffered from cancer when now it accounts for nearly one in three deaths." It seems like it was still around, just less common from their assertion. The article doesn't surprise me. Our environments are so polluted I am surprised it's not even more common. Well, the we can agree that whoever wrote that headline should be fired? I have noticed that too, but the headline does not represent the content of the article. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fireIIC Posted October 14, 2010 #6 Share Posted October 14, 2010 Cancer is actually an ancient reproductive survival technique that our ancestors long ago used. Simple life forms would sometimes reproduce uncontrollably and rapidly for the survival of their species. It's a gene that is no longer effective but has still survived in animals to this day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regeneratia Posted October 14, 2010 #7 Share Posted October 14, 2010 From the article: "Researchers looking at almost a thousand mummies from ancient Egypt and South America found only a handful suffered from cancer when now it accounts for nearly one in three deaths." It seems like it was still around, just less common from their assertion. The article doesn't surprise me. Our environments are so polluted I am surprised it's not even more common. I am just wondering what the average ancient Egyptian's life-span was. I just got a juicer and have been crazy with consuming veggie juices. I simply feel so much better. Just think what it would be like if I were growing my own veggies, instead of the food sold to us from fields that turn over a crop every 90 days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
questionmark Posted October 14, 2010 #8 Share Posted October 14, 2010 I am just wondering what the average ancient Egyptian's life-span was. I just got a juicer and have been crazy with consuming veggie juices. I simply feel so much better. Just think what it would be like if I were growing my own veggies, instead of the food sold to us from fields that turn over a crop every 90 days. About 30 years, though there were some well documented extremes where people lived past their 70s. And here is where we come to the famous lies, infame lies and statistics: The cancer occurrence among those below 30 in our age is not that high either. And I am almost willing to bet a dollar that the occurrences of cancer they found in ancient Egypt is among populace with higher ages. firellC below has given the hint: most cancers are cause by genes that still exist in human bodies to accelerate cell growth that are triggered spontaneously. That some environments accelerate the occurrence of cancer is because they cause an accelerated decay of cells, which in turn increases the risk of one of those unwanted genes to become active. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regeneratia Posted October 15, 2010 #9 Share Posted October 15, 2010 About 30 years, though there were some well documented extremes where people lived past their 70s. And here is where we come to the famous lies, infame lies and statistics: The cancer occurrence among those below 30 in our age is not that high either. And I am almost willing to bet a dollar that the occurrences of cancer they found in ancient Egypt is among populace with higher ages. firellC below has given the hint: most cancers are cause by genes that still exist in human bodies to accelerate cell growth that are triggered spontaneously. That some environments accelerate the occurrence of cancer is because they cause an accelerated decay of cells, which in turn increases the risk of one of those unwanted genes to become active. I have known for decades now about that crazy telemere. You are writing to a nurse who loves science. I have been working hard to reduce the plastics in my life. Drink reverse osmosis water, and not the fluoridated tap water. Always have a cup of green tea at my side. And now, for the last three days, have been juicing with veggies. The juicer just got here. I have tried to eliminate beef and gluten from my diet, which is really sad for me to do, for my father was a cattle and wheat farmer. I eliminated the beef only because they are not testing it adequately these days, IMHO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olympic1 Posted October 16, 2010 #10 Share Posted October 16, 2010 I have known for decades now about that crazy telemere. You are writing to a nurse who loves science. I have been working hard to reduce the plastics in my life. Drink reverse osmosis water, and not the fluoridated tap water. Always have a cup of green tea at my side. And now, for the last three days, have been juicing with veggies. The juicer just got here. I have tried to eliminate beef and gluten from my diet, which is really sad for me to do, for my father was a cattle and wheat farmer. I eliminated the beef only because they are not testing it adequately these days, IMHO. not the point of life to be scared to live Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vpx Posted October 16, 2010 #11 Share Posted October 16, 2010 of course that it is, not only cancer, everything Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vpx Posted October 16, 2010 #12 Share Posted October 16, 2010 even listening to economy will recover and daily terror news for few years give you cancer alone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vpx Posted October 16, 2010 #13 Share Posted October 16, 2010 and working longer with millions of scientists dumber than caveman in 21st century gives you cancer too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olympic1 Posted October 16, 2010 #14 Share Posted October 16, 2010 i think the hussle and bussle of modern man kills him back in the ancient time i wouldnt think theres so much stress over silly unimportant thingslike now Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaoszerg Posted October 16, 2010 #15 Share Posted October 16, 2010 Cancer is actually an ancient reproductive survival technique that our ancestors long ago used. Simple life forms would sometimes reproduce uncontrollably and rapidly for the survival of their species. It's a gene that is no longer effective but has still survived in animals to this day. Is there anything to back that up, or is that just you making the claim? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Queen in the North Posted October 16, 2010 #16 Share Posted October 16, 2010 Okay, I haven't studied Ancient Eygpt for a long while, but I thought that mummies were generally the mummified remains of the rich and well-to-do? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
questionmark Posted October 16, 2010 #17 Share Posted October 16, 2010 Okay, I haven't studied Ancient Eygpt for a long while, but I thought that mummies were generally the mummified remains of the rich and well-to-do? Quite so, in fact being mummified was quite expensive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShadowSot Posted October 16, 2010 #18 Share Posted October 16, 2010 Okay, I haven't studied Ancient Eygpt for a long while, but I thought that mummies were generally the mummified remains of the rich and well-to-do? For the most part, though the desert sands successfully preserved the bodies of commoners as well. As far as I recall, there are examples in the fossil record dating back to the age of the dinosaurs of cancer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Queen in the North Posted October 16, 2010 #19 Share Posted October 16, 2010 Quite so, in fact being mummified was quite expensive. So it could be said that mummies aren't exactly a fair sample of the population back then, I guess? I imagine the rich then (as now, usually) have a rather easier and less stress-filled lifestyle than the commoners, better living conditions, better diet etc, and that could contribute to the results from the research. Especially considering the article says that "the only diagnosis of cancer was a case in an unnamed mummy, an "ordinary" person who had lived around 200AD". I may be talking rot though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShadowSot Posted October 16, 2010 #20 Share Posted October 16, 2010 So it could be said that mummies aren't exactly a fair sample of the population back then, I guess? I imagine the rich then (as now, usually) have a rather easier and less stress-filled lifestyle than the commoners, better living conditions, better diet etc, and that could contribute to the results from the research. Especially considering the article says that "the only diagnosis of cancer was a case in an unnamed mummy, an "ordinary" person who had lived around 200AD". I may be talking rot though. When examining remains, you have to take into account you're nearly always looking at a minority. So I'd like to see mroe documentation on how this study was conducted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
questionmark Posted October 16, 2010 #21 Share Posted October 16, 2010 So it could be said that mummies aren't exactly a fair sample of the population back then, I guess? I imagine the rich then (as now, usually) have a rather easier and less stress-filled lifestyle than the commoners, better living conditions, better diet etc, and that could contribute to the results from the research. Especially considering the article says that "the only diagnosis of cancer was a case in an unnamed mummy, an "ordinary" person who had lived around 200AD". I may be talking rot though. I doubt that the rich were any "healthier" than the poor at that time. They had a small advantage (about 3 years) in longevity (which is still about 10% over the average). And as ShadowSot has already pointed out, the dry dessert was quite successful in preserving the "commoners". The elaborate sarcophagus of the rich required additional measures. If you look at the above graph you will notice that even in our times people who die of cancer before 30 are a minority. If we translate this to ancient Egypt we come to the conclusion that with 2 million inhabitants they could not have more than 120 cancer death. Trying to find those is like trying to find a needle in a haystack. That among the known Egyptian mummies (no more than a few thousand) there is one that can positively be diagnose with cancer does not fall out of the normal statistic variations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Queen in the North Posted October 16, 2010 #22 Share Posted October 16, 2010 I see. Thanks for the explanation Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wickian Posted October 16, 2010 #23 Share Posted October 16, 2010 I'm sure modern (junk) food and other substances we're exposed to contribute to cancer. A much larger population could also account for a larger number of every kind of illness/disease though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
questionmark Posted October 16, 2010 #24 Share Posted October 16, 2010 I'm sure modern (junk) food and other substances we're exposed to contribute to cancer. A much larger population could also account for a larger number of every kind of illness/disease though. My suspicion would be much less toward junk food and more to additives, pesticide and herbicides. Anabolica in meat is not very healthy either. But all legal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emin Posted October 16, 2010 #25 Share Posted October 16, 2010 I thought it would be lie common sense to us all, that cancer is much more prevalent in todays modern world simply due to the fact that we live in an almost artificially composed world of different chemicals and materials that are just not apparent existentially in natural life, and of course there are lots of things going on like say for example all of the electronics we use that give off electromagnetic radiation and such which are as well known to be harmful over a long period of time, and as well all of the factories that give off their mutiple plumes of smoke and chemicals being freely expelled into the atmosphere and so on. There are so many things nowadays that can simply cause cancer that are manmade, and not so natural. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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