How establishment medicine defines and explains cancer vs. how independent professionals define it.

When establishment medicine goes beyond its arguably useless definition and speaks to the cause of cancer, its theory (which has been disproven) is “broken genes.”

Cancer is an Intelligent Adaptive Response to Cellular Crisis

Researchers like Jon Rappoport, Andreas Moritz, Dr. Thomas Cowan, and Dr. Thomas Seyfried suggest that what we call cancer represents an intelligent adaptive response to cellular crisis rather than a random malfunction requiring warfare. The recent identification of natural compounds like EGCG and curcumin that can effectively target these metabolic vulnerabilities—without the toxicity of conventional treatments—makes this understanding not just theoretical but immediately practical…

At the cellular level, cancer represents a fundamental shift in energy production that Otto Warburg identified nearly a century ago. The Warburg effect—cancer cells’ reliance on fermentation for energy even in oxygen-rich environments—isn’t a side effect of cancer but its defining characteristic. This metabolic shift occurs when cells become chronically deprived of oxygen due to various factors including blood vessel thickening from excess protein consumption, emotional stress reducing circulation, environmental toxins damaging mitochondria, and chronic inflammation impairing oxygen delivery…

When cells cannot obtain adequate oxygen for normal respiration, they face a critical choice: die or adapt. Through genetic mutation—not as a cause but as a survival mechanism—some cells develop the ability to survive through fermentation. This process requires approximately 15 times more glucose than normal cellular respiration to produce the same amount of energy. These adapted cells—what we call cancer cells—are not malfunctioning but performing a vital survival function by processing accumulated toxins and waste products that would otherwise cause immediate system failure.

Lies are Unbekoming, When Your Body Builds Tumors to Save Your Life

Contents

1. How Establishment Medicine Defines & Explains Cancer

2. How Independent Professionals Define It

3. Cancer Resources

4. Boost Your Impact — Premium Resources Just a Click Away from $19

5. Recent Newsletters

How Establishment Medicine Defines & Explains Cancer

Establishment medicine has defined cancer as “a disease in which some of the body’s cells grow uncontrollably and spread to other parts of the body.” [source]

In a 2023 paper published in Molecular Cancer Research called “Updating the Definition of Cancer” the authors explain that this definition simply “describes what cancer looks like… but does not describe what cancer is.” This is an accurate description of the inadequacy of this “definition,” although the paper is arguably similarly deficient in its proposed definition: “a disease of uncontrolled proliferation by transformed cells subject to evolution by natural selection.”

As discussed in Beyond Diagnosis, for healing to happen, logic demands that the cause of disease be resolved. But in most cases, a diagnosis is simply a name for a constellation of symptoms with no concern for the cause. These definitions of cancer are a case in point.

When establishment medicine does speak to the cause of cancer, its theory (which has been disproven) is “bad” or “broken genes.”

“We are told that cancer is a disease of damaged DNA… but the story doesn’t hold up”

We are told that cancer is a disease of damaged DNA. Mutations accumulate, cells lose control, and tumors grow unchecked. This is known as the somatic mutation theory and it has been the basis for cancer research, treatment, and public understanding. It underpins billions of dollars in funding every year, drives the design of drugs and clinical trials, and shapes how oncologists talk to patients. But there’s a problem – the story doesn’t hold up…

Countless mutations occur in healthy tissues without leading to cancer. Conversely, some tumors appear with relatively few identifiable mutations… Over 12 years, researchers sequenced more than 23,000 cancer genomes, analysing 84 million mutations and producing over 2.5 petabytes of data. The project cost taxpayers about $375 million. The results were unexpected. With the exception of a few rare cases, no single mutation could be tied to a specific cancer type. Some tumors had no identifiable driver mutations at all. Others showed vast variation, not only between patients but even within the same tumor. Children’s cancers often carried almost no mutations, while adult cancers had only a handful. If mutations are the cause, why isn’t the process more uniform?

Justin Smith

Disease isn’t Caused by Bad Genes

Defective genes are spoken about as if they are “disease time bombs,” fatalistically programmed to go off inside of us… And yet, despite common misconceptions… diseases that result from errors in the nucleotide sequence of a single gene… [account for] less than 1% of all diseases… Following the completion of the Human Genome Project in 2003, it is no longer accurate to say that our genes “cause” disease.

Sayer Ji, GreenMedInfo

It’s Caused by Things We Can Identify and Change

Genomic researcher Craig Venter remarked… “Genes have very little impact on life outcomes. Our biology is way too complicated for that and deals with hundreds of thousands of independent factors. Genes are absolutely not our fate. They can give us useful information about the increased risk of a disease, but in most cases they will not determine the actual cause of the disease, or the actual incidence of somebody getting it.” … As we migrate from one country to another, our chances of being diagnosed with most chronic illnesses are determined not by the country we come from but by the country we migrate to… [and] the concordance between identical twins for breast cancer was found to be only 20%. Instead of our genes, our lifestyle and environment account for 90–95% of our most chronic illnesses.

Pharmaceutical Research

For more on the fact that diseases are almost never caused by bad genes, see Root Cause Index.

How Independent Professionals Define It

The mainstream theories are obviously not helpful as establishment medicine has failed to treat cancer:

We assessed the overall progress against cancer during the years 1950 to 1982. In the United States, these years were associated with increases in the number of deaths from cancer. – John. C. Bailar III & Elaine M. Smith, The New England Journal of Medicine, Progress against Cancer? link

A defining characteristic of cancer is a metabolic shift in which metabolically damaged cells prefer glucose as a fuel source. As a result, there are an increasing number of professionals who define cancer as a metabolic disease. [source] See also: Cancer as a Metabolic Disease (1 hr 11 min video).

• Metabolism refers to the most foundational and prevalent cellular processes that our bodies conduct to make energy available to maintain life. (If you have time to review the lesson on Cells & Cellular Biology you’re likely to gain a better understanding and appreciation for the body’s foundational physiology.)

• When cells adapt in such a way that they’re called cancerous, they’re demonstrating a metabolic shift that must be addressed to restore healthy cellular activity and cancer reversal.

References

Cancer is, at its core, a metabolic disease. – Independent Medical Alliance link

Dr. Seyfried argues that cancer is not primarily a genetic disease but a metabolic disorder stemming from impaired mitochondrial respiration. Drawing on Otto Warburg’s observation that cancer cells rely on fermentation even in oxygen-rich environments, he posits that this metabolic shift is the root cause of malignancy. – Thomas Seyfried, Cancer as a Metabolic Disease book review

What happens if you take a mouse that has cancer and give it fresh mitochondria from a healthy mouse? The cancer disappears. And what about the opposite — what if you take a healthy mouse and inject it with mitochondria from a cancerous mouse? The healthy mouse develops cancer. (Work of Dr. Thomas Seyfried, Boston University) – Dr. Michael Turner MD, Cancer Revolution link

When you are looking at fighting cancer while keeping normal cells healthy, you have to ask yourself, what makes a cancer cell different? Based on what we know from the work of Otto Warburg, Thomas Seyfried, and many others, cancer cells are metabolically damaged. Metabolically damaged in that their energy producing structures, mitochondria, are unable to operate efficiently. This manifests in their preference for glucose as a fuel source, relatively low-yield production of ATP, and rampant production of oxidative species. Normal healthy cells, on the other hand, are able to exhibit metabolic flexibility where they can burn multiple sources of fuel, produce more ATP, and relatively lower levels of oxidative species. – Dr. David Jockers, How Sugar Feeds Cancer Growth link

Tumors: “the body’s emergency waste management system”

The conventional view presents tumors as enemy encampments that must be destroyed. However, an alternative understanding suggests tumors function as the body’s emergency waste management system. When normal elimination pathways through the liver, kidneys, and lymphatic system become overwhelmed by toxins—from vaccines, environmental pollutants, processed foods, and emotional stress—the body creates tumors as protective enclosures to contain these harmful substances. Consider how approximately 80% of the lymphatic system connects to the digestive tract. When this crucial waste removal network becomes congested through poor diet, lack of movement, or toxic overload, cellular debris and metabolic waste accumulate in tissues. The body, in its wisdom, responds by building what we call tumors—essentially waste containment facilities that prevent immediate systemic poisoning. As Dr. Thomas Cowan has described it, tumors form like lily pads on a pond—they appear where toxins accumulate, serving as biological waste processing centers. This explains numerous observations that confound conventional oncology. Tumors often contain high concentrations of toxins, heavy metals, and metabolic waste products. When tumors are aggressively removed through surgery or destroyed through chemotherapy, patients sometimes experience rapid deterioration—not from “spreading cancer” but from the sudden release of sequestered poisons back into circulation. The body may desperately attempt to build new containment structures, which medicine labels as “metastasis” or “recurrence.” The phenomenon of spontaneous remission powerfully supports this understanding. When the body successfully reduces its toxic burden through natural processes like fever or infection, tumors often disappear without medical intervention. Studies show that 90-95% of all cancers appear and disappear on their own, suggesting these formations serve a temporary protective function rather than representing a permanent disease state. During acute infections, the body’s comprehensive cleansing response can break down and eliminate accumulated toxins, including tumor tissue, leading to complete remission once the infection clears.

Lies are Unbekoming

Cancer Resources

We offer a series of lessons and resources on cancers and tumors. These accessible and comprehensive materials are powerful resources for wellness professionals and others seeking practical knowledge. We also offer much of this material freely due to the immense need for individuals to access this information (see links below), but if you can afford either a Substack paid subscription or a Wellness Resource Center membership, I could use it to pay the associated bills.

1. Vocabulary — Concise, verifiable definitions make research and communications more effective; cancer, neoplasm, plasma cell neoplasm, tumor, turbo cancer Warburg effect

2. Beyond Diagnosis: Defining Cancer (you’re seeing an excerpt here) — How establishment medicine has defined cancer and how independent professionals define it

3. Characteristics of Cancer & The Warburg Effect — Characteristics of cancerous cells and tumors

4. Diagnoses & Turbo Cancers — 2025 research and doctors’ reports on turbo cancers, plus specific types of cancer diagnosis and cancers with the highest metabolic aggression

5. Root Causes of Cancer — Key factors underlying cancer plus a lengthy list of evidence-based causes

6. Therapeutics — More than 60 evidence-based treatments including nutrients, repurposed drugs, & essential oils

7. Research on the Impact of Yoga — Research summaries from 20 published papers on the positive impacts of yoga interventions on cancer patients and cancer survivors

8. Chemotherapy, Other Cancer Drugs, Radiation — “Chemotherapy Makes Cancer Worse”

9. Cancer Reversal Research — More than 180 references for clinical research documenting cancer reversal and recovery successes

10. Cancer Reversal Testimonials — More than 300 medical and personal testimonials of cancer reversal & recovery

11. Cancer Protocols, Dosing, Purchase — Protocols from original sources + dosage considerations and purchase options.

12. Covid Vaccines, Aggressive Cancers — “Peer-reviewed research links Covid-19 mRNA vaccines to 'turbo cancer.'"

13. Sources and Resources — Reference list of source material with quick links

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Recent Newsletters

• Planning Ahead: Considerations for September 2025 — Eclipses are said to be a time when consciousness is turned inward, ideal times for spiritual practice. link

• Planning Ahead: Considerations for August 2025 — Holidays & Observations, Doshas, Seasons, Moon Phases link

Yoga

1. Research on the Impact of Yoga Among Cancer Patients & Cancer Survivors — New cancer resources + Research on the impact of yoga among cancer patients and cancer survivors link

2. Teaching Present Moment Awareness — When the Light of awareness shows us what we don’t want to see or feel, what do we do? What happens if we choose to stay present? The power of Now and teaching present moment awareness. link

3. Integrity & Perseverance — Everything can be compromised, including yoga. How your integrity helps real yoga persevere. link

4. Adaptation Principles — “If you ask all the people in your session to do exactly the same posture in the same manner, it’s almost like asking them to wear the same shoes.” Principles for customization and adaptation of yoga for various uses and needs. link

5. Shadow Work — “Unconscious denial of any experience freezes some portion of our available energy in shadow.” Why shadow work (exploring the subconscious mind) is vital for improving our life, and how yoga helps. The subconscious mind is wildly powerful. And it doesn’t learn or function like the conscious mind. link

6. Research: Yoga's Impact on Heart Health — Brief summaries of 28 research publications on the safety and positive impacts of yoga, meditation and breathing practices on heart disease & heart health. link

7. Energy Philosophy — Why Do We Have Energy? Where Does it Come From? Subtle Energy from a Yoga Perspective. link

8. Asana Benefit — Teaching the verifiable benefits of yoga poses to reduce stress, increase concentration, reduce chronic pain and inflammation, and much more. link

Health & Wellness

1. Research on Cancer Reversal & Recovery Successes — 180 references on clinical studies demonstrating more than 60 successful treatments including nutrients, repurposed drugs, & essential oils link

2. Health & Wellness Techniques & Therapies — When you're considering options for responding to an illness or imbalance, you've got nearly 200 health & wellness techniques to choose from. Get evidence-based resources here.

3. Let's work together and do things better — Calling all yoga therapists and teachers, doctors and healthcare providers, coaches, and anyone who offers health and wellness support. More people are aware that establishment medicine has contributed to skyrocketing chronic illness. They're realizing they need more knowledge & better solutions. We can do better. link

4. Placebo & Nocebo Effects — Extensive research on placebo effects and sham surgery provide invaluable data for optimizing conditions for healing. link

5. Root Cause Index — Root Cause Index: No more drugs to mask symptoms while the causes remain unresolved, resulting in more serious illnesses. By dealing with root causes, the body restores functioning & health returns. link

6. Vitamin D — Vitamin D’s functions are so foundational and essential as to be virtually indistinguishable from bodily functioning as a whole. Get the key facts here and get your un-sunscreened skin in the sun. link

7. Toxins & Detoxing — Establishment doctors weren't taught about toxins or detoxing. We need to educate ourselves and our clients, so that we're all making informed choices. link

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