Week 7: Are our genes still being shaped by Natural Selection?

Intellectually speaking, it only makes sense that humans are still evolving…as long as we are still living, learning and the world we live in is changing, it would stand to reason that we as a species, having an interdependent relationship with that world, it would spur continued evolution for all it’s inhabitants…be they flora or fauna.
This idea is supported by the DNA changes seen in the populations gathered by the HapMap project…be they the adaptations that allowed ancestors of Northern Europeans to digest lactose in order to consume milk -or- other changes in skin color, senses of taste and smell, bone structure, and brain function that allowed other populations to adjust to their changing environments.

What I find truly amazing is that we are scientifically able to recognize and track these evolutionary changes by scanning the human genome and then mapping those changes using statistical methods to identify the specific genes that carry those adaptations forward through certain populations. And while it appears that these genetic adaptations may be able to be correlated to the events in the archeological record, it also may be a misattribution to say that these changes were linked to a shift from nomadic lifestyles to more agricultural ones…turth be told, we just don’t know that for certain at this time. Perhaps as science itself evolves, we will develop new techniques for DNA testing that can affirm that link for certain, moving forward.

Week 7: How does a TCM approach to cancer differ?

The TCM approach to cancer is, like it's medicine: wholistic. Whereas the Western approach reflects our analytic mindset, breaking everything down into their component parts; the TCM perspective is that "cancer development is due to a weakened body that makes individuals susceptible to different carcinogens". TCM sees cancer as "systematic disorder, with multiple factors that repeatedly act on the body" ultimately leading to internal disharmony, organ dysfunctions and meridian disorders. So, the tact that TCM takes is to assist and support the individual to regain balance and achieve homeostasis, using therapies such as herbs, acupuncture and massage.

Generally, the tactics used by TCM are more supportive to the whole organism and are less aggressive than those used by Western medicine whose approach has "little concern for the overall condition of the body", and which frequently cause more damage than good. Also, TCM is "safer, effective, affordable and accessible to most cancer patients", while "controlling symptoms, shortening recovery time, improving survival rates and quality of life". Truthfully, these days, most folks use a combination of Allopathic and TCM approaches to cancer; trying to mitigate the less desirous side-effects of Western medicine (chemotherapy, radiation) with the support of more gentle TCM approach.

Week 7: How Sophisticated is our understanding of Cancer?

It's amazing what we know about cancer...

• Scientists have proved that it can be passed on from Mother to child in the womb...we even figured out that it's because of a defect (deletion mutation) that is passed on, which causes some of the HLA DNAto be missing; the ultimate affect of which doesn't allow the child's immune system to discern between itself and foreign cancer cells which come across the placenta.
• Certain viruses open the path to cancer; such as Hep B's connection to Liver cancer -or- Cervical cancer which is caused by a certain types of a virus—human papillomavirus or HPV.
• We understand the cellular biology of tumors and have developed sophisticated theories about what goes wrong, when, why and how...from gene mutations for tumor suppressors and oncogenes to abnormal replication of chromosomes by master genes.
• We know what kind of environmental factors can cause cancer, from exposure to toxic chemicals or radiation; to certain lifestyle habits that expose us to carcinogens (tobacco use).
• We have developed various traditional treatments to cancer including surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy; to new drugs that slow the grow of certain cancers by blocking receptor sites for estrogen required for their growth -or- other drugs that bind to abnormal proteins in cancer cells and block their growth.
• We even have learned how to prevent cancer by through diet therapy (fruits & veggies full of antioxidants and phytochemicals) and lifestyle recommendations (alkalinize, exercise).
• And, of course, we have developed ever more detailed screening procedures and effective genetic tests for hereditary markers for cancer.

Yet, with everything that we have learned, cancer continues to elude us. Cancer continues to be a conundrum for the 21st century.