I’m sure we’ve all been touched by someone who has been afflicted with cancer.
According to the WHO, the cancers with the highest incidence globally include lung, breast, colon and rectum, and prostate cancers. In 2022, lung cancer had approximately 2.5 million new cases, followed closely by breast cancer with 2.3 million cases.
Many of you may be knowledgeable about the truth that lifestyle has a huge impact on whether cancer cells grow. We know that most cancers feed on sugar – remove the sugar, often the cancer shrinks and dies. We also know habits like smoking dramatically increase the risk of cancers, particularly lung cancer. But did you know the incidence of lung cancer is on the rise in non-smokers, thought to be linked to the breathing in of toxic oils during cooking (vegetable oil, canola oil etc)?
But in my view, there is more to the story we need to be aware of. Particularly when it comes to breast and prostate cancer, which there is abundant evidence to show there are links between the misuse of electric lights causing circadian rhythm disruption, with these types of cancers.
There has been an enormous growth in breast cancer incidence over the past century. The invention of the light bulb brought us many benefits – along with the illusion that we could now control the night. We have moved indoors more and more, we’re not getting adequate sunlight during the day, and using the wrong light at ight (especially fluorescents and LED lights), and now even worse with the advent of screens.
According to Dr Martin Moore-Ede in his book, The Light Doctor, he says that, “based on all the evidence we have today, it looks like blue-rich electric light at night may be the ‘tobacco’ of breast cancer. Women who have never seen electric light rarely get breast cancer. In contrast, women who are regularly exposed to bright electric light after sunset have breast cancer diagnosis rates five or more times higher than women with no exposure to electric light. Even women who sleep with the light on at night have higher breast cancer rates than those who sleep in the dark.”
But how does this happen? What is the link between blue light and breast cancer?
The first person to make this link was epidemiologist Richard Stevens back in 1987. What he postulated, and has since been confirmed with huge amounts of research since then, was that the increasing use of electric light was inducing the rise in breast cancer because light at night is known to suppress the production of the pineal hormone, melatonin. Melatonin has powerful effects in suppressing the growth of tumors. The lights on at night tells the brain it is midday, naturally suppressing the bodies ability to make melatonin, or tanking the melatonin made during the day within the mitochondria. This melatonin suppression leads to growth that is unchecked.
But it is not just the melatonin, but an overall disrupted circadian rhythm. When our master clock (the SCN) that sits just behind our eyes, is confused as to the time of the day, due to incorrect timing of light (indoors all day, not enough sunlight exposure, bright light all night), this also disrupts the millions of other clocks in our body (every cell has a clock!) which means all the clocks in our body start to beat out of sync – like an orchestra out of timing. When this happens, the bodies natural defense against cancer cells – and other threats, such as viruses, is disrupted.
There are certain practices I include every day in my life now, because I’ve studied in depth circadian rhythm.
What are the things I do most days, that I didn’t do before gaining this knowledge 3 years ago?
1. Outdoors every moment I can (every day)
2. Block blue light after sunset – I have full spectrum light bulbs in the house that are red at night. I have a filter on my phone and computer screen, and wear blue blocking glasses to watch the TV and when out at night. (Every day)
3. Lie in full sun as often as I can (clothes removed when no one is home). I’ve educated my family on breast health which means mum needs sun on her breasts as often as possible, so they had better look away! By the way, this got much easier to do when I shed my layers of conditioning, and came home to myself. I’ve talked before about how shedding for me happened in many different ways, but there is a thread between me discarding the mental layers with my ability to discard the physical when needed (as often as I can). This is where my book, The Gifts Within, can help you to discard your mental layers too 
These are also things I’ve been doing for the past 10 years (on and off as I’ve learned from experience) that also help my mitochondria and hormones remain healthy and balanced:
1. I eat real food my brain can recognise, including plenty of animal foods and very limited (if none at all) sugar and processed foods (including the low carb and keto junk foods) (every day)
2. I supplement with iodine (high dose), each day. Low iodine levels have been linked to breast cancer.
2. I don’t drink alcohol (it’s been almost 4 years since I had a drink), smoke, vape
3. I exercise regularly (mostly outside), including resistance training (I do some movement every day)
4. Red light on my breasts (when I can)
5. I keep notice of my nervous system and have a rooted connection to my core values (every day)
6. I practice presence regularly throughout the day (every day)
7. I have a deep peace from my acceptance of how life works and very little resistance to that (some days are harder than others)
8. I utlise the power of cold/hot therapy with an infrared sauna and a beach swim (when I can).
I am acutely aware that this list may look somewhat out of reach for many, and in fact, overwhelming. Or perhaps you have given up hope on healing and this list shows you some light.
It is definitely not out of reach, they are things we can move slowly towards. This is a good 10 years for me with some of these things, and I’ve no doubt there is more to come in the future as I keep on learning. That’s who I am. I seek, I learn.
For me, none of this feels like work (now). These habits are all a part of me. They are not things I tick off from a list (however a list sometimes helps in the beginning while you remember!), they are just a part of how I choose to live each day. And in case you want to judge my choices, well of course, that is your choice. However I can tell you that judgement keeps your mind closed and is a trick the mind plays to keep us ‘safe’ by not even considering there is an alternative to how we’re doing things. Choosing to be a seeker is where we need to be in the modern world get the health that we deserve to have.
The impact of poor circadian rhythm on our heath is so big, yet largely unknown. And having spent a lot of time in hospitals with my mum recently, it is not something even remotely on the health scape. Nor will it be anytime soon given the fact light is free and can’t be patented.
So it is up to you, the individual, to take action yourself. And it can take time, practice, and persistence to get the new habits created, which we know. That’s just how it works!
I can help you get your timing right for your health.
Great books to read if you want to learn deeper yourself outside of my space:
The Light Doctor: Using Light to Boost Health, Improve Sleep, and Live Longer by Dr Martin Moore-Ede
The Circadian Code by Dr Sachin Panda