SkinWise

I had just started my new health journey when I received devastating news.

“You have invasive squamous cell carcinoma”.

It was NOT what I was expecting at all. Everything in my life halted as I tried to figure out what to do with this new reality.

While some people treat the skin cancer and move on, my research revealed that 100% of people diagnosed with a skin cancer will go on to have another. Moreover, my research also revealed that skin cancer is a precursor to other malignant cancers.

But, why?

Well, for lots of reasons that don’t necessarily do with the sun. It’s the same thing as I have been learning about for the last few years. The food we eat, along with all of our personal care products, are loaded with chemicals. These chemicals damage our skin cells and those cells are then affected by ultra-violet radiation. Yes, your skin can also be damaged by the sun when you get sunburned. The damage that results through burns or chemicals then cause DNA damage which results in cancer cells to form.

However, regardless of the cause, the hallmark of cancer is inflammation. Therefore, working to reduce inflammation through diet, stress relief and exercise are the key strategies to cancer prevention. I believe that food heals, and that what we put into our body matters just as much as what we put on it. My strategies in healing my body are the same ones I have been advocating since I started this journey. I used food to heal, and I’m doing the same with my skin cancer diagnosis.

To follow my journey, sign up for SkinWise–my Substack newlsetter.