Controversy: Is cancer man-made?

Recently, a press release on the scarcity of cancer in Egyptian mummies caused a stir on some news sites. As Tom Chivers, of Telegraph.com.uk, writes:

Egyptian mummy undergoing a CT scan. (Not part of the study). CyberMed, LLC Images

Now, I want to make it clear, we – and other papers – are not over-reporting this, at least in one sense. The press release from the University of Manchester is fairly unambiguous: “Scientists suggest that cancer is purely man-made“, says the headline.

While not a surprising conclusion to some, apparently, according to Andy Coghlan, cancer charities and cancer research organizations “are not happy”. The article in question, Cancer: an old disease, a new disease or something in between? by A. Rosalie David and Michael R. Zimmerman, was published this October in Nature Reviews. Dr. David summarizes their conclusions in the press release:

Yet again extensive ancient Egyptian data, along with other data from across the millennia, has given modern society a clear message – cancer is man-made and something that we can and should address.

So, is cancer “purely man-made?” Did the authors overstate

Mt. Bierstadt trip report

One thing we know about human migration in the Paleolithic: humankind walked a lot. While it took countless generations for our ancestors to the reach France, Spain and Britain from Africa, the bottom line, they walked. Around 13,000 years ago, they walked into Colorado. While it is not known when Native Americans first climbed a Colorado peak, it is believed Mt. Beirstadt was one of them. For paleoterran fitness and rejuvenation, a summer climb was in order.

Mt. Bierstadt, rising to 14,060 feet, is Colorado’s 38th highest peak. Located in the Front Range and within easy access from Denver, the mountain is ideal for an August ascent. For my son, it would be his second Bierstadt climb; for me, my first 14er.

Departing Denver at 5:07 am, we drove south on Colorado Blvd and turned west on Hampden Avenue (Highway-285). At Grant, forty miles outside of Denver, we turned right on the Guanella Scenic and Historic Byway, a gravel and paved two-lane road also known as Guanella Pass Road and County Road 62.

Paleo parenting

Image adapted from Notra Dame Symposium poster.Are you a Paleo parent? Do you frequently carry your infant, provide hours of unstructured play, positive touch, and spread child rearing among caregivers in your family group?  Does this type of child rearing develop better-adjusted and more empathetic children? Darcia F. Narvaez, Associate Professor of Psychology at University of Notra Dame and specialist on the moral development of children, thinks so. At a recent symposium, Human Nature and Early Experience: Addressing the “Environment of Evolutionary Adaptedness,” Dr. Narvaez presented her and co-author Tracy Gleason’s views in the presentation Early Experience, Moral Development and Human Nature.

As Joan Raymond writes for MSNBC: 

While our hunter-gatherer ancestors may not have been big on dental hygiene, they did get it right when it came to raising well-adjusted, empathetic children, says lead researcher Darcia Narvaez.

Welcome to PaleoTerran

Recently, a friend asked me about Paleo. It was the stimulus that after sitting on the sidelines for about a year, nudged me to contribute my voice. My initial introduction to Paleo was in 2003 and my participation has become more serious over time. This past January, I had hoped to launch a website to join the paleo conversation, but life has its way presenting other priorities. By May, the name selected for the blog had been taken and, more recently, the byline was at risk. Finally, it was time to launch or be silent.

From a review of the many paleo websites and publications, the paleo lifestyle appears well covered. Sites include the sophisticated Marks Daily Apple by Mark Sisson, the playful yet serious Hunter-Gatherer by John Durant, and many others. There are also a number of books on the subject. Still, the paleo perspective is in its formative stages and there is much yet to learn and discuss. Thus, I introduce PALEOTERRAN: Original health for a modern world. 

Paleo is the organizing principle of this site and several other sites, although other terms such as primal, hunter-gatherer, and caveman are used. The Paleolithic era spans the time from development of the first stone tools 2.6 million years ago, to the introduction of agriculture about 10,000 years ago. As a physician, it is readily apparent the health of our population is slowly deteriorating. Heart disease, diabetes, stroke, dementia and other modern diseases are rampant. Are we causing these disorders? Have we sufficiently tampered with our original diet and physical health and put our children’s and our future at risk? These, and other questions, will be explored.