Good news - or only part of the story?

I just watched a Daily Show from earlier this week with a guest who's written a book called The End of Illness. The author, David Agus, is an oncologist who emphasizes disease prevention rather than cure. He made some good points, especially regarding the nature of the top killers (cancer, heart disease, Alzheimers, etc.), which are all basically diseases of our own bodies turning against us. He contrasted these diseases to the biggies related to external foe such as bacteria; those we can often cure.

Despite agreeing with much of what he said, I thought him incredibly arrogant and found myself contesting his arguments. I haven't read his book (I do plan to; I've put it on hold at the library), but I can summarize the thesis he presented during the short interview: We develop these diseases because we are too sedentary, have too much inflammation (he thinks we should mandate a daily aspirin), and generally expose our bodies to unnecessary stress (such as from eating meals at irregular times). As I said, I agree with most of this. He paints with broad strokes, though, and implies that all of these diseases are preventable through lifestyle changes. Ever notice how healthy people like to assume they're healthy because of choices they've made?

Sometimes she was a little too active. In 2006, we painted the
house between her surgery and starting chemo. She and I erected
scaffolding (and it was heavy!). She also helped coordinate
friends and family, and actually did a fair amount of the work,
even though we all told her to go lie down already,
with her infection and her fever.

When Sandy's breast cancer was first diagnosed in June 2006, she had just spent two and a half years doing everything right: eating very well, exercising sensibly and regularly, and generally reducing the stress in her life. She'd even been tested for inflammation, and had tested incredibly low. Yet the breast cancer occurred. She had three tumors, two in her breast and one in her lymph glands. None of these had been evident in her mammogram just about fifteen months before. This was fast-growing cancer, and it took off during the time that Sandy was embracing the healthiest lifestyle she'd ever had.

I personally know many women who have had breast cancer or who are living with it now. There's little they share in their lifestyles and personal histories. The only thing they have in common is that mutated cells in their bodies found an opportunity to grow dangerous. We don't know whether that opportunity came about due to toxins in the environment, genetic weaknesses, life choices (such as working the night shift), or voodoo dolls. In fact, one of the things that is so frustrating about fighting breast cancer is that studies of diet and exercise and all the other good things we can control have failed to show any difference in the likelihood of developing the disease or the probability that it will metastasize. The risk factors of breast cancer remain things we have little control over, such as sex (being female), age (older women have higher risk), and race (African American women are at particular risk of the deadliest forms). 

And I'm not just defensive about breast cancer. My grandfather had Alzheimer's. He'd been a farmer all his life, not a sedentary lifestyle. Even after he retired, he remained physically and mentally active. But he suffered from Alzheimer's all the same, just as his mother had.

I am a strong proponent of healthful living, and I strive to adopt and strengthen healthy habits in my own life, just as I encourage them for those I love. But it is irresponsible and offensive to claim that lifestyle changes alone can prevent these diseases.

By all means, let's do what we can to keep these shells we inhabit humming as long and as well as possible. But let's not blame those who suffer from debilitating and deadly diseases for their illnesses. And most important, let's not assume that individuals can make all the necessary changes themselves. We have to work together as a community of people invested in the health of ourselves, our families, and our neighbors, to eliminate the carcinogens that proliferate in our modern world, and to ensure that impoverished communities don't suffer for the sake of our industrial progress.

And while we're aiming for actual, effective prevention, we must also keep working for cures. There are many good people fighting for their lives, and they need us fighting with them.