The Hidden Root of Cancer.

Why stem cells and forgotten theories may hold the key to avoiding cancer and recurrence.

We’re told cancer is a battle. Cut it out, blast it with radiation, poison it with chemotherapy, and hope you’ve won. But what if the ‘enemy’ is far more cunning than we think? What if its actually our own biological systems that have gone awry? What if even after the tumor shrinks, cancer’s most dangerous cells are still hiding in the shadows, ready to return?

This is where cancer stem cells come in. An overlooked but critical piece of the cancer puzzle.

What Are Cancer Stem Cells?

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are a small population of cells within a tumor that can self-renew and differentiate into various cell types — much like normal stem cells in the body. But unlike typical cancer cells, CSCs are incredibly resilient. They survive chemotherapy and radiation, leading to relapse and metastasis. In fact, many researchers now believe these cells are the real root of cancer’s persistence.

If you destroy 99% of a tumor but leave CSCs intact, cancer may return. It’s like cutting the weeds but leaving the roots in the soil.

The medical established defines a cure as 5-year survival. But unfortunately, some cancers return as a more aggressive form of cancer some time after the ‘cure’. Cancer stem cells are likely to be one of the reasons for this.

The Forgotten Theory That Saw It Coming

Over a century ago, long before the molecular science of CSCs, a Scottish embryologist named Dr. John Beard proposed something remarkably similar. Known today as the trophoblast theory of cancer.

Dr. Beard observed that cancer cells behave a lot like trophoblast cells — the invasive cells that form the placenta in early pregnancy. Trophoblasts are designed to invade maternal tissue, grow rapidly, and create new life. But outside of pregnancy this same program could be mistakenly activated, leading to cancer.

It is worth noting that Dr. John Beard was a scientific giant of his time. He made a number of scientific discoveries, and wrote a large number of scientific monographs. In 1890, Dr. Beard was honored by the French Academy of Sciences and in 1906 nominated for the Nobel Prize for Medicine.

Dr. Beard proposed that pancreatic enzymes could play a role in controlling this process, a hypothesis that has since been sidelined by mainstream oncology.

Old Ideas Meet New Science

Fast-forward to today, and modern research on CSCs echoes Beard’s theory in striking ways. CSCs are primitive, stem-like cells capable of invasion, regeneration, and resistance. They act like ancient survival programs gone rogue.

Both the trophoblast theory and CSC research suggest that cancer is not just a random collection of mutations. Instead, it’s a biological misfire — a reactivation of ancient cellular behavior, triggered by environmental stress, chronic inflammation, metabolic dysfunction, or other systemic signals.

The Mainstream View: Mutations and Chaos

Contrast this with the mainstream model of cancer promoted by most health authorities. Which states that cancer is primarily a genetic disease caused by mutations that accumulate over time. Random errors in DNA, combined with environmental insults (smoking, toxins, radiation), create uncontrolled cell division.

According to one of the doctors interviewed for my upcoming documentary film, the probability of a cell going through sufficient gene mutations to become a cancer cell could be around 1 in 100000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000. (yes, that’s 77 zeros). Expressed another way, it’s about the same probability of being hit by lightening 17 times in one year.

No one denies that mutations are present as part of the disease but it is unlikely that random mutations are the actual cause of cancer.

The standard approach is to target rapidly dividing cells, kill as many as possible, and hope that the body's repair systems do the rest.

But here’s the problem: if CSCs are the root, then focusing only on tumor size and cell death misses the bigger picture. It explains why recurrence is so common, despite aggressive treatments.

Hope Beyond the Old Model

The good news is that researchers and integrative oncologists are now exploring ways to target CSCs. Through immunotherapy, repurposed drugs, natural compounds and potentially metabolic therapies.

Evidence suggests that lifestyle interventions (in particular, exercise, and stress management) may influence the environment that allows CSCs to thrive.

Why This Matters for You

Cancer statistics remain alarming and suggest that up to 50% of people will be diagnosed with cancer at some point in their lives. Recurrence rates remain high for many types of cancer often coming back when patients thought they were in the clear.

Understanding the role of CSCs could revolutionise treatment but prevention.

The Bigger Conversation

In my upcoming documentary film, I’ll be exploring these hidden aspects of cancer. From overlooked theories like Dr. Beard’s, to cutting-edge research on CSCs, and integrative therapies that challenge the mainstream narrative.

Here is a very short clip from a recent interview with Dr. Taufiq Binjemain:

We can’t afford to keep fighting cancer on outdated terms. If we want better outcomes, we need to start asking tougher questions.

If this resonates with you, I invite you to share this article, become a paid subscriber to The Self-Sovereign, or make a direct donation to the documentary film by using either of the links below:

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Sources:

• Dr. Taufiq Binjemain presentation at the MAAFIM 2024 conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

• Cancer Care, Dr. Paul Marik.

• Cancer and pregnancy. Mayo Clin Proc 2009 Nov;84(11):985-1000.

• The Trophoblast and the Origins of Cancer, Dr. John Beard and Nicholas Gonzalez

• Cancer Stem Cells: advances in knowledge and implications for cancer therapy, Chu, X., Tian, W., Ning, J. et al.

• Cancer as a Metabolic Disease, Thomas Seyfried