February 4 is World Cancer Day.
Between World Cancer Day 2025 and World Cancer Day 2026, we have witnessed a sudden alarming spurt in cancer diagnosis in apparently healthy people whom we have known for many years. All had apparently good lifestyles and come from different backgrounds, but we noticed that there was one common factor- age. All of them were around 60 years of age.
Case 1: A 62 year old man had a CT scan of the abdomen to look for a kidney stone. The CT scan also imaged the lower part of the chest and coincidentally detected a nodule in the lower lobe of the left lung. This was initially considered to be a calcified inflammatory reaction, and he went through repeat CT scans of the chest every 6 months. After two years of stability, it increased in size and a lung biopsy found a pulmonary adenocarcinoma (cancer).
Case 2: A 60 year old man had a routine coronary CT scan of the heart to check the health of the coronary blood vessels. Coincidentally, the radiologist noticed a nodule in the right lung. He was asked to get a CT scan of the chest to see what this suspicious nodule could be. The CT scan did not find a significant growth in the lung, but unfortunately for him, detected a cancerous tumor in the thymus gland.
Case 3: A 61 year old woman had frequent abdominal pains. After routine investigations did not help in the diagnosis, her doctor suggested a CT scan of the abdomen that showed that she had a neuro-endocrine tumor of the intestine. This again is a cancerous growth.
Case 4: This is a 59 year old man whose wife noticed one morning that the whites of his eyes were yellow. They contacted the local doctor who asked them to get blood tests to check the function of the liver. They brought the results to us and we found that the Bilirubin was high (7.0), but the AST and ALT levels (liver enzymes) were only mildly elevated, and the Alkaline phosphate level was very high. We told them that this meant he did not have the “usual” jaundice due to an inflammation of the liver but indicated an obstruction of the biliary system. A CT scan of the abdomen confirmed the presence of a tumor in the opening of the common bile duct.
Case 5: A 62 year old man was investigated for an episode of blood in the urine. His results came back positive for a cancer of the bladder. Just an aside- he was given chemotherapy for this cancer and lost vision in one eye as a side-effect. Homeopathy helped him regain his vision!
So, what goes wrong when you reach your 60s? Why do so many people get diagnosed with cancer at about this time in their life?
It’s all about your immune system. Did you know that every cell in your body has the potential to become a cancer cell and that in fact lots of cells in the body turn cancerous every day! However, we have a well-oiled machinery that recognizes this turn of events and nips it in the bud. This machinery is basically the immune system.
In particular, the NK (Natural Killer) cells are the first line of defense- you can call them the first responders, whenever cancer cells pop up anywhere in the body. These cells kill the tumor and infected cells by direct contact and are quick in the action, unlike the T lymphocytes (also a part of the immune system) that have a delayed reaction to the presence of cancer or infected cells.
The theory is that as you grow older, and especially in your 60s, the immune system also ages and becomes less efficient. The number and potency of the NK cells and T-lymphocyte drop and any event or crisis that can affect the immune system can cause a failure of these cells to fight cancer. They basically become less efficient or just give up, and the cancer cells flourish and form a tumor.
Beginning with the sixth decade of life, the human immune system undergoes dramatic aging-related changes. This aging immune system loses the ability to protect against infections and cancer. A hallmark of the aging process is the shortening of chromosomal ends causing DNA damage and premature death of the T cell lymphocytes.
What can you do about it? For optimum mental health- meditation, yoga and, if needed, counselling to help you remain as stress free as possible. Stress is an important factor that can have a detrimental effect on the immune system. Exercise regularly and lose weight if you are obese. Your diet should also be healthy and rich in anti-oxidants to reduce inflammatory states. Stop canned seafood, fatty cuts of meat, whole milk, full fat yogurt, chips and fried food, sodas, sugar and syrups, salt, etc. You should instead eat all green leafy vegetables, whole fruits, whole wheat grains, nuts and seeds, all beans and legumes, unsweetened dairy substitutes, etc.
How can homeopathy help? Homeopathic remedies are known to have their positive effects on the Neuro-endocrine system (nerves and hormones) and the Reticulo-endothelial system- RES (Immune system). Homeopathy has the potential to slow down this immune degeneration and maintain a normal state of the cell, hence maintain good health.
Even after a person has been diagnosed with cancer, homeopathy can be used as an adjuvant along with other treatment modalities. It is even useful in the treatment of the side effects of chemotherapy and radiation therapy. The emotional response to the diagnosis of cancer can also be treated with homeopathy.
Please note: A detailed history followed by constitutional treatment by a good and qualified homeopathic practitioner is necessary to treat the complaints that appear due to any disease. The information contained on this site is general in nature and is not meant to substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other health care professional. None of the statements on this site are an endorsement of any particular product, or a recommendation as to how to treat any particular disease or health-related condition. It is not advisable to resort to self-medication for any disease.
Disclaimer: Daxa Vaishnav and Vijay Vaishnav are both MDs in Homeopathy from India and are Board Certified Classical Homeopaths (CCH) in the USA. They are licensed and registered homeopathic physicians in India and are not licensed physicians in the State of California. They provide services under Sections 2053.5 and 2053.6 of California’s Business and Professions Code, subject to requirements and restrictions. The nature of the services provided by them involves an interview to gather the information needed, analysis of this information, recommendation of a homeopathic remedy and assessment of the action of the remedy at follow up consultations. Their services are alternative or complementary to healing arts services licensed by the StateSo, what goes wrong when you reach your 60s? of California, are therefore limited in scope, and not a substitute for medical supervision and advice. If you suspect you have a disease or health-related condition of any kind, you should contact your health care professional immediately. Please consult with a health care professional before starting any diet, exercise, supplementation or medication program.