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[EarthNSky <erthnsky AT bellsouth.net>]

Clansgian AT wmconnect.com wrote:

> But over 90% are caused by smoking.  Add second hand smoke into that,
>  environmental causes which are under our control and the percent is 
> even higher.  And what about general ill health caused by bad diet, 
> obesity, lack of activity, and bad outlook (like believing that we 
> are predestined by our genes) and how many more cases could you write
>  off.
>
> After all this, what role does genetics play?  Not much room left to 
> cause much mayhem.

James, you are talking to an adoptee who found their genetic family.  It
is UNREAL how much I am gentically alike my biological family.  Genetics
plays a HUGE role in health.  Now, just because one knows there is a
genetic predisposition to something doesn't mean they are going to give
up and blame chance or genetics.  When I discovered my family medical
history of ovarian cancer, and I had for years been subject to what is
today known as polycystic ovary disease, I had a hysterectomy.  At the
time of my surgery, the docs though my problems were all in my head, but
it was obvious after they cut me open that this was not the case.  I
could have told myself, oh well, reproductive cancers run in my family
and there's not much I can do about it, but instead, I went to an
oncologist armed with the facts of my family history and subjected
myself to more study.  While they could not seem to find anything with
ultrasounds and other tests, I persisted, and when they finally agreed
to an exploratory surgery, I was vindicated.  I had both cysts and
tumors inside and outside of my ovaries.  Some were benign and some were
"pre-cancerous" which explained why my CA-125 test came back
inconclusive.  My pushing the matter saved my life, I believe, and even
better, finding this genetic link has possibly saved the life of my
daughter.  I was 29 when I had the surgery, but I had suffered
reproductive problems since my teens.  What did I do to cause tumors to
grow in my body? Not all POD cases are bad, but they are most certainly
painful and life disruptive.  I suppose I could have just gone on and
let fate happen, but I was proactive.

> > On the news tonight, they reported a woman died while sitting at a 
> > traffic light (in traffic) when a car that had been racing another 
> > car slammed into her car, injuring her children and killing the 
> > mother. How was that her fault?
>
>
> And this would affect your choices in ... what way?

It doesn't affect my choices at all.  The story was related to you to
say that sometimes, no matter what personal choices you make that bad
things happen...that shit happens irregardless of personal behavior.

> But more to the point, as someone pointed out earlier, our choice 
> (generally, overall) in transportation has its consequences.  As a 
> whole we think it is so neat to zip around in ton and a half vehicles
>  at fatal speeds that some of us ARE going to be killed.  Just as
> with diseases, all you can do is make the odds better in your favor,
> you can't eliminate the risk entirely and I'm quite amused at the 
> absolutism that brings it up.  A family that chooses to shuffle it's 
> children ot school, to scocer, scouts, ballet, tiddly wink lessons, 
> church six times a week, and then go out to eat every other meal is 
> greatly increasing their odds of a fatal auto wreck.  Someone who is 
> content to stay at home (or homestead) and go into town once or twice
>  a month greatly reduces their odds of a fatal wreck.  Ya pays your 
> money, ya takes your chances.

By the same token, you log with horses, you milk cows, you build your
own barn, you take your chances with injury.  Accidents happen, and yes,
while we can live carefully and mitigate some accidents, we are not
talking about accidents here in general, we are talking about disease,
and specifically, genetic diseases and their causes and therapies.

> The whole thing that started this thread was the mentioning of the 
> idea of odds in avoiding disease.  Bringing up countless examples of 
> one remote thing that COULD happen or odd exceptions to the rule is 
> the sort of thing that people do when they don't want to face the 
> reality of their choices.
>
> My take is this:  If you spent your life's energy providing yourself 
> a physically vigorous lifestyle, good diet, peaceable envirnonment, 
> and avoided bitheringly stupid life choices like smoking .... you 
> would have better odds of avoiding disease than having access to 
> modern medicine has odds of curing those diseases.  If anyone has 
> evidence to dispute that, I'd be interested.

You are making the statement, you prove it.

Other than Gene, I think the rest of us are more moderate in our
thinking and make allowances that other factors, like genetics and
luck/chance play a role in how our lives turn out.  You guys seem to be
on the extreme end of the spectrum and not allow anything for genetics.

Bev


--
BevanRon of EarthNSky Farm   NW Georgia USDA Zone 7
34.498N 85.076W    Bev is Earth, Ron is Sky