How Environmental Toxins Shape Cancer Risk, With Nathan Goodyear, M.D.

In an interview with The Educated Patient, integrative physician Nathan Goodyear, M.D., discusses how environmental chemicals, lifestyle factors and innovative medical approaches all play a role in cancer risk and whole-body wellness. He explains that for nearly a century, pesticides, herbicides and other chemicals like glyphosate and DDT have accumulated in our environment. Because many of these chemicals never fully break down, they continue to affect our soil, food and health today.

Goodyear believes the first step in protecting ourselves is awareness. Patients and families should understand how their environment influences health and how they can take practical steps to reduce exposure. One strategy is strengthening connections between people and regenerative farmers (farmers who prioritize restoring soil health). He suggests reimagining the “doctor–patient relationship” as a “farmer–patient–doctor” partnership, because healthy soil supports healthier food, which ultimately supports healthier people.

Beyond environmental changes, Goodyear emphasizes foundational lifestyle factors, including exercise, sleep, stress reduction and meaningful relationships. He points to examples like the Blue Zones, where many people live past age 100. These communities share common habits: clean food and wine consumed in moderation, strong social ties, purposeful daily routines, and eating meals together. According to Goodyear, these habits support the immune system and overall longevity.

He also discusses why cancer is increasingly affecting younger adults. It’s not necessarily chronological age, he says, but cellular aging and immune system exhaustion — both of which can be worsened by environmental toxicants. Removing these chemicals may help restore healthier immune function.

A promising approach he highlights is therapeutic plasma exchange, a medical procedure that filters toxins from the blood. Early research shows this may help remove certain chemicals and microplastics that disrupt hormones and metabolism. Goodyear believes future care may combine detoxification methods like plasma exchange with cancer treatments such as immunotherapy. The idea is to first clear toxins that weaken the immune system, then strengthen it with targeted therapies.

Goodyear stresses a shift toward precision, individualized care. The future of cancer prevention and treatment, he says, is understanding each patient’s environment, including external exposures, metabolic health and gut microbiome, and creating a personalized plan that supports healing from the ground up.