Thank you for the link. I had the breast cancer gene test last year, which was negative. Knowing that good news, I'm going to change those things which I can change to help prevent those diseases which I can help prevent.

I know cancer comes from somewhere, but somehow I feel like recommendations like these - these are the standard recommendations - "blame the victim" for getting cancer.

I lived my life like that, still do, and raised my family like that. Never used chemicals to kill pests or fertilize grass or plants, raised a lot of the veggies we ate. Natural Peanut Butter. Prepared almost all of our meals without packaged goods like Hamb Helper, etc., made cakes, cookies, pies and biscuits from scratch, sent lunches I made to work and school with hub and the kids. Use glass instead of plastic. Wear clothes made of natural fabrics, have carpet of wool. Mow the lawns with a Push mower, shovel the snow with shovels. Not one of us is overweight or ever has been. Get plenty of exercise. Sort of an Earth Mother, you know? Don't smoke, have a glass or two of wine a week, take precautions with the sun.....

....Four years ago this month (you knew this was coming, right?), hub, 64 at the time, was diagnosed with colon cancer; the same week one son, age 29, was dianosed with Crohn's Disease; six weeks later, I, then 57, was diagnosed with kidney cancer. So what the heck! My brothers all drink, smoke and are fat, but they haven't been sick yet.

We still live what the books tells us and what we consider a healthy lifestyle, but it makes me wonder.

I also feel this way about "keeping your mind active" by doing crossword puzzles, etc. to ward of dementia and Alzheimer's Disease. Have they ever met anyone who didn't THINK? Probably not. Haven't they ever heard of great thinkers (like my mother) whose great minds start failing them, regardless of lifestyle and mind activity? It's the disease that prevents them from being able to carry on as they did, not the other way around!

Seems as if there are a lot of false starts towards understanding disease (and a lot of other things!) and false conclusions are reached.

I watched my mother do everything right--slim, exercised, healthy eater,read, crosswords, etc die at age 77 from Alzheimers. My MIL, overweight, diet of grease, fried foods, lots of sugar w/ a sedentary life style, plus pessimistic lived to be 96. There's no justice. There are countless examples of this. Who knows?

It's all pre-programed to some extent, I think. A person shouldn't purposely do things to harm themselves, but, on the other hand those who do so, with no health consequences, are common. Back to my original theory, we're programmed.

Well, as far as the part about "keeping your mind active", I strongly believe in that. I have met many, many people in my type of work, and the people who have not engaged in activities that challenge their brains are very susceptible to losing sharpness, ability to focus, ability to problem solve and all kinds of other unpleasant things. That is one reason why I continue to work, even though I don't need to.

Now, I don't mean that everyone has to work to keep their mind sharp, that's just my preferred way. I know plenty of people who do not work, but keep their minds engaged in learning and helping activities to accomplish the same thing. I firmly believe that you have to use your brain, as much as you do your body, to keep it from going to "mush".

I might have veered off topic, but I do think that the more we embrace a healthy lifestyle, the more likely we are to be healthy. There are no guarantees, we can only choose to increase our odds of being healthy, or to be in the best shape possible to fight disease or illness if it should happen.

There will always be some things that we cannot control, which I've learned with my own daughter, as she has numerous health problems. But if she didn't have a healthy lifestyle, she would be even worse off.

He has a book called Anti-Cancer, A new way of life ...A good friend of mine (internet) sent me the book when she found out I had cancer. She too has cancer although not Lung cancer. It's full of healthy ideas...ideas that are good for you whether you have cancer or not. I love all of the foods it recommends anyway so I don't have a problem with it...Right now I need to work on building red blood cells, hemaglobin, so I am making myself eat more meat than I normally would...but....it's all a healthy way of living. I refuse to eat off the wall things or drink putrid drinks or give up foods that I love...like sugar for instance. I really believe that you can help and make a difference in your health, but you can't necessarily stop the bad stuff.

Of course. I hope you didn't think I was advocating laziness or bad lifestyle choices. I am not; I totally embrace a healthy lifestyle, always will. Yet things - the fates?- are out of my control.

How does one stop using his brain? I think blaming the victim is useless and cruel. Perhaps the people you know who have lost sharpness and ability to focus are suffering those things BECAUSE they have some deterioration of braincells, due to disease undetected as yet, and you have not. It need not be much deterioration in the beginning, but it is insidious.

Some of us never lose our cognitive abilities, others of us never really have deep abilities in the first place yet live long capable lives. Some of us get cancer despite our healthy ways. My mother was actively engaged in her profession until she was 78, but gradually became unable to continue because her brain is damaged in some way. It's kind of a crapshoot.

Oh no, I didn't think you were advocating laziness or bad lifestyle choices at all. I didn't mean it to sound like that.

How does someone stop using their brain? By keeping their world small and closed. I'm not talking about people with psychiatric illnesses, just people who have kept themselves closed up for too many years for cultural and other reasons. And I'm not being cruel, just observant. There are a number of people like this that I've managed to get involved in supportive community programs, who have thrived once they've taken part for some time. They usually make a point to thank me later, but they're improvement in the quality of their life is thanks enough for me.

Like I said.. I know through the experiences my daughter has been though, that some of it IS a crapshoot. I agreed with that. I go through periods where I dwell on how unfair it is for her. If lifestyle choices were the only factor(s) necessary for good health, she'd be healthy. She's only 27 and has four significant disabilities and struggles with a couple of other issues as well.

I did not mean to offend, and I'm sorry I if I did.

I agree with all of you. Like Ruthie, I think there's a lot we can do, but we can't control everything. Like Susan, I've seen people who withdraw, get depressed, lose their focus, veg out in front of the TV, and yes, stop using their brains. I don't know if that's going to increase their risk of Alzheimer's, but it could conceivably increase their risk of some kind of cognitive impairment.

And like Sherrmann, I've known people with stellar minds succumb to dementia. My grandmother--opera singer in her youth, who took up figure skating in her forties, became a published writer in her fifties, learned French with spectacular results (the first American to be awarded a life membership in the French Institute) in her sixties, got what was probably Alzheimer's. And my husband, a Ph.D. chemical engineer who took excellent care of himself and never lost his love of learning, suffered with dementia for ten years before he died.

Yes, I think there's a lot we don't know. Meanwhile, I try to do the best I can with what we do know.

I believe it's all in the genes. My doctor has said that, too. I'm going to enjoy life eating what I like. Extreme anythng is not healthy. Exercising your body and your brain can only help. I might get hit by a bus tomorrow, too.

Living a healthy lifestyle without being obsessive about it makes everyday living better I am sure - more energy, less headaches etc. I am sure it also helps against many diseases and can lessen symptoms. On the other hand, I guess we all know people who do the "wrong" things and thrive and others who do all the "right" things and have health problems. My son died at 30 from melanoma which ended up spreading to all organs of his body. He was the only one in our large extended family to have cancer. His lifestyle was neither super-healthy or unhealthy. He did not spend long periods of time in the sun but did get sunburnt from time to time - nowhere near as often as I have in my longer lifetime. But something in his genetic make-up meant that cancer was able to develop in a form that could not be stopped. Two of my sisters are very overweight, eat badly, smoke like chimneys, do no exercise and at 55 and 62 are very healthy. Sometimes just the luck of the draw, I think.
I worked with people with Alzheimer's disease for years and they ranged from brain surgeons to labourers. Keeping our brains active is never a bad thing and may have an effect on reducing our chances of getting this disease but again, there is that element of chance.
Like everything, it is good to take note of suggested diet and lifestyle elements and then decide what suits us. For me, if I had to eat sardines, oily fish and tomatoes for example - I would be in serious trouble. I would rather run a marathon in bare feet over hot coals!! Maybe not, but I think I would definitely go hungry.
I guess what I am saying in a very long-winded way is that life is for living and if some changes to lifestyle can enhance that - great but if it becomes a rigid denial of life's little pleasures I would find it very difficult. Beth

I agree with alisande - you do the best you can, follow the life style that works for you, and life happens.

When I found out I had breat cancer some 17 years ago I can't say I was shocked. It has taken every woman on my father's side of the family. My oldest sister and I were the only 2 living that had dealt with it. Some 5 years ago I lost my sister. Now a niece found she had cancer while having her 4th child. They took the breast off and did cemo while she was pregnant. She is doing well now.

While we had always been told it doesn't come through the father's side they sure got it wrong for us. My father's Mom and 3 sisters all died from cancer. Then the 2 oldest grandaughters died. Next came me and my niece. My doctor was shocked when I wrote it all down for him.

I will always remember when I saw my Grandmaother last. It was on my wedding day. She was to ill to come to the wedding so we went to her house so she could see us. We came back from our honeymoon so I could see her and she died about 30 minutes before I got there. I have wonderful memories of her that has lasted me for my lifetime.. She was young when she died and I sure would have loved for my children to have known her.. She always hugged usa and sang to us. I still drive by where she lived when I go back home. I have flowers that came from her old house in my flower garden today.. I sure do miss her..

This is one reason I work hard at being a great mom and grandma. I had such wonderful ones to teach me.. Memories are the one thing that no one can take from you.. You never know when your time will end and I make the best of all of it.. I had a chance of it ending once and I want to live like I am dying everyday from now on..

Susie

It all depends on where you live. If you don't want to get breast cancer move to Japan. There stomach cancer is the big one. I have had breast cancer twice, no family history (which accounts for only 20%). If you want to get bogged down in this discussion just google cancer in different regions of the world. As one of my cancer doctors said if I had the answer I would be worth billions.

My father, after a heart attack said to his Doctor "Why me, I don't smoke or drink, I'm active and not overwieght?" His Doctor said "Perhaps that's why you survived the attack!"
So while lifestyle may not always prevent illness, maybe it will give our bodies the strength needed to give a good fight!

I agree with Lindakathy. I also believe it is mostly in your genes. My father died from a brain tumor from working around hazardous chemicals, but except for him, I know no one in my family who ever had cancer or a heart attack. My sister in law has high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol...but my brother, who is 79, has none of those ailments and eats anything he wants. My sister just turned 83. She hasn't been to a doctor in at least 20 years. She's an onery old gal too.

Shermann, I agree 100%. I'm so bloody well fed up with the overkill of "The Secret" and its ramifications. Yeah, let's go beat up on the survivors of the Nazi Concentration Camps because their "negative thinking" got them into such a hellish place. Or maybe we can go after rape victims, who must have "thought something bad" before being viciously assaulted.

I do believe we're responsible for our thoughts and I do believe that by controlling our thoughts we can re-shape our life, but I believe that sometimes, things get thrown in our path for reasons way too big for my understanding.

I think people suffering with disease have enough on their plate without having to deal with the "guilt" of wondering if their "bad thinking" brought it on.

Rose