Imagine you are in <keyword id="2062831" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="ancient-Egypt" source="Orion">ancient Egypt</keyword>! A healer, adorned in linen robes and an ornate headdress, stands over a patient in a dimly lit chamber. He is equipped with rudimentary yet precise copper tools. With a steady hand, he carefully carves into the patient’s skull. Invoking the blessings of Thoth, the god of medicine and wisdom, he bravely attempts to excise a deadly tumour. This isn't a scene from a historical drama, but a reality uncovered by recent research. Astonishingly, the battle against <keyword id="6355291" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="cancer" source="Orion">cancer</keyword> didn’t start with modern medicine; it began over 4,000 years ago with the pioneering efforts of the ancient Egyptians. Ancient <keyword id="21853853" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Egyptian-medical-practices" source="Orion">Egyptian medical practices</keyword> were incredibly advanced for their time. These early medical practitioners could diagnose and treat various diseases and injuries, construct prostheses and even perform dental work. Now, fresh discoveries have shown that they were not only identifying cancer but also performing intricate surgical procedures to treat it. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Unravelling ancient medical marvels" comment="subhead" text="Unravelling ancient medical marvels">Unravelling ancient medical marvels</cmsannotation> To explore cancer’s historical prevalence, a research team examined two skulls from the <keyword id="20151405" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="University-of-Cambridge" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="University of Cambridge" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="University of Cambridge">University of Cambridge</keyword>'s Duckworth Collection. Skull 236, from a male aged 30 to 35, dates back to between 2687 and 2345 BCE. Skull E270, from a female over 50, dates to between 663 and 343 BCE. Microscopic examination of Skull 236 revealed a large lesion indicative of neoplasm (an abnormal mass of tissue), accompanied by approximately 30 small, round metastasized lesions scattered across the skull. Similarly, Skull E270 displayed a significant lesion suggestive of a cancerous tumour that led to bone destruction. What astonished the researchers were cut marks around these lesions, likely made with a sharp metal instrument. <div type="image" title="skull cutmarks" msid="110531681" hostid="261" sizebytes="110612" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Cutmarks found on skull 236, probably made with a sharp object.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> “It seems ancient Egyptians performed some kind of surgical intervention related to the presence of cancerous cells, proving that ancient Egyptian medicine was also conducting experimental treatments or medical explorations in relation to cancer,” explained co-author Prof. Albert Isidro, an Egyptology specialist and a surgical oncologist at the University Hospital Sagrat Cor. “This finding is unique evidence of how ancient Egyptian medicine would have tried to deal with or explore cancer more than 4,000 years ago. This is an extraordinary new perspective in our understanding of the <keyword id="2702239" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="history-of-medicine" source="Orion">history of medicine</keyword>,” added Prof. Edgard Camarós, the study's lead author and a paleopathologist at the University of Santiago de Compostela. This discovery also suggests that although today's factors like lifestyle, ageing populations and environmental carcinogens increase cancer risk, the disease was also prevalent in ancient times. This shared human experience of battling illness across millennia marks an interesting link between us and our ancestors. However, the researchers cautioned that studying skeletal remains presents challenges, as they are often incomplete and lack clinical histories. Therefore, while this research does shift our understanding and pave the way for future research in <keyword id="21853851" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="paleo-oncology" source="keywords">paleo-oncology</keyword>, more studies are necessary to unravel how ancient societies managed cancer. The findings were recently published in the journal Frontiers in Medicine and can be accessed <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmed.2024.1371645/full">here</a>.

From the sands of time: 4,000-year-old skulls reveal how ancient Egyptians tried to treat cancer!

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Getting into <keyword id="11981462" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="ketosis" source="Orion">ketosis</keyword> means changing how your body gets energy.</li><li>Ketosis means you're burning fat for energy instead of carbs so cutting carbs is key.</li><li>You can also get into ketosis by exercising more, fasting, and limiting protein.</li></ul><a href="https://www.uchicagomedicine.org/forefront/health-and-wellness-articles/ketogenic-diet-what-are-the-risks" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ketosis</a> is the hallmark of rapid weight loss in popular diets like the ketogenic diet and intermittent fasting.There are several ways you can enter ketosis. The bottom line is just that you have to deplete your glucose reserves.Glucose is your body's main source of energy and it typically comes from the carbs you eat. Here's how cutting carbs, exercising, fasting, and other tips can help you reach ketosis. But first an important note about the <keyword id="11981460" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="keto-diet" source="Orion">keto diet</keyword>:<h2>What to know about keto</h2>The ketogenic diet was <a href="https://www.epilepsy.com/learn/treating-seizures-and-epilepsy/dietary-therapies/ketogenic-diet" target="_blank" rel="noopener">initially developed to treat epilepsy in children</a>, but it has become a popular approach to weight loss. "While there are many claims of drastic weight loss, this diet was not intended for weight management purposes," says <a href="https://www.insider.com/author/kailey-proctor" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kailey Proctor</a>, RDN, a board certified oncology dietitian at the <a href="https://www.providence.org/locations/mission-hospital-mission-viejo/cancer-center" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Leonard Cancer Institute at Providence Mission Hospital</a>.Because of that, people should not aim to maintain ketosis long term. Especially since you usually have to drastically reduce whole grains, vegetables, and fruits — and their healthy fiber, vitamins, and minerals — to stay under 50 grams of carbs per day."It is extremely difficult to meet vegetable and fiber requirements following a keto diet," says Proctor.If you are on a ketogenic diet for medical reasons, it's important to work with a doctor or dietitian. With that, here are five thing you can do to help you reach ketosis and some tips on how to know when you reached your goal.<h2>1. Cut carbs</h2><a href="https://www.insider.com/keto-diet" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Keto diets</a> typically limit carbohydrate intake to less than 50 grams per day, says Proctor. The reason being that with limited carbs, your body has nothing to convert to glucose. And without glucose, the body's forced to burn fat for energy instead, via a process called ketosis.After limiting carbs, it can take <a href="https://www.insider.com/how-long-does-it-take-to-get-into-ketosis" target="_blank" rel="noopener">up to a week</a> for the body to use up any remaining glucose stores and reach ketosis. But keep in mind, it's important to remain in a carb deficit."As soon as more than 50 grams of carbohydrates are consumed, you are no longer in ketosis and must go through the process of drastically limiting carbohydrates again," says Proctor.Note: On a typical keto diet, less than 10% of daily calories come from carbohydrates. For comparison, the <a href="https://www.dietaryguidelines.gov/sites/default/files/2020-12/Dietary_Guidelines_for_Americans_2020-2025.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dietary Guidelines for Americans</a> suggests adults should get <a href="https://www.nal.usda.gov/sites/default/files/fnic_uploads/macronutrients.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">45% to 65%</a> of their calories from carbohydrates, which include vegetables, fruits, whole grains and other nutritious foods. Proctor <a href="https://www.pcrm.org/good-nutrition/nutrition-programs-policies/2020-2025-dietary-guidelines" target="_blank" rel="noopener">along with other professionals</a> recommend upping fruit and vegetable intake, rather than decreasing it, even if that interferes with ketosis. <h2>2. Eat more healthy unsaturated fats</h2>Eating a diet rich in fat while also limiting carbs prompts your body to burn fat, rather than glucose, for fuel. That's the basis of ketosis. People following a ketogenic diet get <a href="https://www.epilepsy.com/learn/treating-seizures-and-epilepsy/dietary-therapies/ketogenic-diet" target="_blank" rel="noopener">75% of their calories</a> from fats, which ideally should come from avocado, nuts, olive oils, and other <a href="https://www.insider.com/saturated-vs-unsaturated-fat" target="_blank" rel="noopener">unsaturated, or healthy, fats</a>. For comparison, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends that people older than 14 only get <a href="https://www.nal.usda.gov/sites/default/files/fnic_uploads/macronutrients.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">20% to 35%</a> of their caloric intake from fats, including unsaturated fats. While consuming more fats can promote ketosis, it's important to make sure you're limiting saturated fat and mainly consuming unsaturated fats. "A diet high in saturated fat has been <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0021915019315898" target="_blank" rel="noopener">shown to increase the risk of heart disease and heart attacks</a> as these fats are more likely to clog our arteries," says Proctor. <h2>3. Fast intermittently</h2>The body enters ketosis when it doesn't have glucose to burn, including <a href="https://www.health.harvard.edu/heart-health/time-to-try-intermittent-fasting" target="_blank" rel="noopener">after fasting</a> for about 12 hours. However, fasting alone isn't enough to promote ketosis for most people. "The intake of carbohydrates at the end of their fasting window would quickly eliminate the need to rely on fat for fuel," says <a href="https://streetsmartnutrition.com/about/professional-bio/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cara Harbstreet</a>, RD, founder of <a href="https://streetsmartnutrition.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Street Smart Nutrition</a>. Because of limited benefits and possible negative outcomes, Harbstreet doesn't recommend fasting outside of established religious or cultural purposes. "The planned and intentional restriction of food is a known dieting behavior that can be moderately to highly disordered for many people," she says. <h2>4. Eat less protein</h2>On a keto diet designed to treat epilepsy, only 10% to 15% of calories come from proteins, Harbstreet says. Eating more than that can bump your body out of ketosis. By comparison, keto diets designed for weight loss often recommend <a href="https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/healthy-weight/diet-reviews/ketogenic-diet/#:~:text=Generally,%20popular%20ketogenic%20resources%20suggest,carbohydrate,%20and%2075%20grams%20protein." target="_blank" rel="noopener">20% to 30%</a> of calorie intake be from protein, Harbstreet says, but this can make it difficult to maintain ketosis."When eaten in excess, protein can be <a href="https://www.uofmhealth.org/health-library/uq1238abc#:~:text=When%20glycogen%20is%20used%20up,used%20for%20energy,%20forming%20ketones." target="_blank" rel="noopener">converted to glucose</a>, which can make it harder or impossible to achieve and maintain ketosis," Harbstreet says. The Dietary Guidelines suggest that adults get <a href="https://www.nal.usda.gov/sites/default/files/fnic_uploads/macronutrients.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">10% to 35%</a> of their daily calories from protein. <h2>5. Exercise more</h2>During exercise, the body quickly uses up its glucose reserves. Therefore, if you're going longer than a couple of hours, the body switches over <a href="https://www.trifectanutrition.com/blog/how-to-get-into-ketosis-tips-backed-by-science" target="_blank" rel="noopener">to burning fat</a> for fuel via ketosis because there's no glucose left.That's why prolonged exercise can speed up the process of getting into ketosis, Harbstreet says. Of course, everyone can benefit from regular exercise. Aim to meet the current <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/basics/adults/index.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recommendations</a> of 150 minutes a week of moderate intensity exercise, or 75 minutes per week of high intensity exercise.<h2>Signs you're in ketosis</h2>Once your body is in ketosis, you might notice physical changes including symptoms of the <a href="https://www.insider.com/keto-flu" target="_blank" rel="noopener">keto flu</a>, like nausea, irritability, and confusion. You may also notice a fruity or acetone scent on your breath, which indicates increased ketones — the byproduct of ketosis — in your bloodstream. There are also urine strips that can measure the amount of ketones in your pee to identify ketosis, but these products are not particularly reliable, Proctor says. Measuring ketone levels in your blood, on the other hand, is accurate, but blood ketone meters are expensive, she says. So, your best bet is looking for <a href="https://www.insider.com/how-to-tell-if-youre-in-ketosis-symptoms-and-tools-2019-6" target="_blank" rel="noopener">physical symptoms of ketosis</a> and making sure you're limiting your carb and protein intake.<h2>Insider's takeaway</h2>There's a lot of buzz about the keto diet, but a true keto diet should only be done under the supervision of a medical professional, says Harbstreet. "I can't endorse or recommend that anyone strives to maintain ketosis or a keto diet indefinitely," she says. It's difficult to get adequate nutrition on the keto diet, and there are possible cardiovascular side effects, Harbstreet says, adding that people should focus on <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/healthy_eating/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sustainable healthy eating</a> rather than trying to enter ketosis through strict dieting regimens."The heightened interest in the keto diet is not unlike past diet fads, in which the initial development of the diet is perhaps rooted in some legitimate nutrition science, but has evolved into something nearly unrecognizable," she says.<a data-type="6172e29097c706350f2aaf88">20 of the best low-carb vegetables, according to dieticiens</a><a data-type="5e1e045449878c00492b7087">Why you may not be losing weight on the keto diet</a><a data-type="6001c5c0e838ae4b2d1f946d">The key differences between the paleo and keto diet, and which one nutritionists recommend</a><a data-type="6165ea301ce2f73de102da72">The difference between the Atkins and Keto diet — and which is more effective</a>

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From the sands of time: 4,000-year-old skulls reveal how ancient Egyptians tried to treat cancer!

Kunal Kambli

5 things you can do to kickstart ketosis fast, according to dietitians

Kelly Burch,Samantha Cassetty