Can Your Daily Choices Influence Cancer Risk and Recovery?

Posted: June 27, 2026 | Author: | Filed under: behavior, Breathing/respiration, cancer, emotions, healing, health, lifestyle, Nutrition/diet, Pain/discomfort, self-healing, stress management, Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

What if the way you eat, move, sleep, manage stress, and connect with others could influence your body’s ability to prevent disease and support healing?

Most of us have been taught to think of cancer primarily as a genetic disease. Yet an expanding body of scientific research tells a more hopeful story: while genes matter, they are only part of the picture. Our environment, lifestyle, immune system, and even the quality of our relationships can profoundly influence health.

These are the questions explored in the newly published book Cancer Reconsidered: Why Environment, Lifestyle, and Immunity Matter More than We Thought, by Erik Peper, Robert Gorter, and Nancy Faass.

Written for people living with cancer, their families, healthcare professionals, and anyone interested in optimizing health, the book translates decades of scientific research into practical, evidence-based strategies that readers can use in everyday life.

Rather than viewing cancer through a single lens, Cancer Reconsidered brings together insights from conventional medicine with evidence-based complementary approaches. The authors explore how nutrition, physical activity, stress, sleep, environmental exposures, immune function, and social support interact to influence both cancer risk and the body’s remarkable capacity for repair and resilience.

One of the book’s central messages is both simple and empowering: although we cannot change our genes, we can often change the conditions in which our genes are expressed. Daily choices matter. Healthy habits can strengthen the body’s natural defenses, reduce inflammation, support immune function, and improve quality of life.

A particularly practical chapter explores blood sugar regulation and metabolism. Using continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) together with smartphone apps, readers can observe in real time how different foods, exercise, stress, and sleep affect their glucose levels. Instead of following one-size-fits-all advice, they become active investigators of their own health, discovering what works best for their unique physiology.

Throughout the book, the emphasis is not on fear, but on possibility. Scientific evidence increasingly shows that hope, meaningful social connections, regular movement, nourishing food, restorative sleep, effective stress management, and resilience are not simply “nice ideas”—they are biological factors that can significantly influence health and well-being.

Cancer Reconsidered invites readers to move beyond the question, “What causes cancer?” and instead ask, “What can I do today to create the best possible conditions for health?” It offers a thoughtful, scientifically grounded roadmap for anyone seeking to answer that question.

Cancer Reconsidered: Why Environment, Lifestyle, and Immunity Matter More than We Thought is now available on Amazon in paperback and and affordable ebook Kindle editions. https://www.amazon.com/s?k=cancer+reconsidered

Welcome the New Year with Inspiration

Posted: December 22, 2025 | Author: | Filed under: attention, behavior, CBT, cognitive behavior therapy, emotions, healing, health, mindfulness, self-healing | Tags: , , , , , | 1 Comment

As the holiday season begins, I find myself looking back on all that has unfolded this year and looking forward with hope to the year ahead. My social media feed is full of touching, uplifting messages and videos—reminders of resilience, creativity, and the simple goodness in the world. Best wishes for the holidays and the New Year and I hope you will enjoy the two inspiring videos.

1. Nine life lessons from comedian Tim Minchin, presented at the University of Western Australia. His humor and wisdom offer a refreshing take on what truly matters.

2. A powerful story about transforming disaster into blessing.
If you ever feel stuck or unsure about the future, this video is a beautiful reminder that unexpected turns can lead to new possibilities.

Wishing you a healthy and inspiring New Year!

Erik

There is hope in these crazy times—three inspirational TED talks

Posted: December 16, 2020 | Author: | Filed under: behavior, emotions, health, mindfulness, self-healing, Uncategorized | Tags: , , | 2 Comments

I just received an email from the Rick Hansen Foundation that inspired me to share its recommendations. In 1957 at the age of 15, Rick Hansen injured his spinal cord and was paralyzed from the waist down. He is an inspiration for all of us. In these crazy times of sheltering in place, experiencing social isolation, anxiety, depression, racial bias, and also happiness and joy, he recommends the following TED talks to increase resilience, overcome racial bias, and achieve self-acceptance. Enjoy watching the talks as they suggest strategies to deal with adversity and offer hope for the New Year.
3 Secrets of resilient people by Dr. Lucy Hone, Co-director of the New Zealand Institute of Wellbeing & Resilience and adjunct fellow at the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand.

How racial bias works-and how to disrupt it by Stanford University social psychologist, Jennifer L. Eberhardt

To overcome challenges, stop comparing yourself to other by wheelchair athlete Dean Furnes

Entrepreneurship, work and life balance: a must read

Posted: March 4, 2014 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , | Leave a comment

I am very proud that my son just published his novel, Uncommon Stock. It’s a fictional thriller about two entrepreneurs starting a new technology company.

Presentation1One of the most powerful pieces of the book that resonated with me was its focus on resilience, the ability to bounce back after a setback/disaster, with total commitment towards achieving a specific.  For young students searching for a career,  parents of children who are striking out on a career, teachers who counsel students on career choices and clinicians who help clients learn work/life balance and enhance health, they may be unaware of the dynamic emotional and commitment struggles that underlie successful entrepreneurship.

Uncommon Stock explores many of these themes and how they impact our next generation of leaders. Once I started the book, I was captured and did not put it down.  When I finished I realized that not only was it a great entertainment for my plane ride, it also gave me remarkable insight in the trials and tribulations of my students and many young adults who are the new Silicon Valley entrepreneurs.

It is a must read for any student thinking about striking out on their own and creating a business. Every business major should own a copy. Finally, it provides constant insights for adults who teach or counsel young people and parents trying to understand their children. Plus, it’s perfect entertainment for a rainy afternoon.

The book is now available from Amazon and other major retailers. Your can also download a free excerpt here.