At this point in my life, I don't think there are many "cancer remedies" that I haven't heard about. The real answer is nobody knows.

I would like to think that if we cut fast food out of our diets, and stopped putting our plastic bottles in the freezers that cancer would just go away. But I think we can say with some certainty that this is not the case.

When I was diagnosed with cancer I was 28, and I like to think I was in pretty good shape. I watched my diet (to some extent), lifted weights, rode my bike, ran, etc... I had an overweight, out of shape teacher growing up, and I always told myself that being a PE teacher that I had to practice what I preach. Nobody feels like exercising all the time, but I did it, and it's what drove me. Unfortunately for me, I still got cancer.

Now considering that I had just watched my brother die a year earlier of Leukemia, I was in amazement, shocked, and stunned. The doctor's told me that my cancer is in no way linked to that of my brother, but I to this day do not believe that. I am still waiting for a researcher to approach me about doing a study, because the chances of two brothers getting cancer before they turn 30 have to be astronomical.

In essence, I think that it does not matter what type of milk you drink, or how many milligrams of chocolate per day you consume. The key to everything in life seems to be moderation. And even then, people will still get cancer. However, there are always exceptions to the rule. Ever meet somebody that has been smoking 2 or 3 packs a day for 50 years? Or the person that drinks 8 diet cokes, or 24 beers, or eats 3 squares of burger king and is 300 lbs. overweight? None of these things are healthy. But to answer the question of why some of these people get cancer and others do not, is to this point uncomprehensible.

It has to all go back to genetics. Yes, it is true that we all have cancer causing agents in our bodies. And it is also true that we are all exposed to different things in the environment. So, then is it our environment that triggers these cancer genes to surface in the form of tumors? Not an easy question to answer.

It is my belief that the truth is that cancer is a combination of environment and genetics. Cancer cannot exist and flourish without both. Much like a mold growing on a sandwich, the conditions have to be just right.

In conclusion, I do not believe that we can change how cancer effects us in our lives...at least not right now. Our technology is not great enough. If you are unfortunate, as my family was, to have cancer in your life, it is just bad timing. Much like polio killed hundreds of thousands of people in the 30's, 40's, and 50's, we are just soldiers of bad luck. Stuck in a time that is fighting for a cure. We have made great strides in the last few decades with cancer treatments. While we are on the right track, but it could be a while.

Smile...today could be your last.