MAY 2026 ISSUE | VIEWPOINT ARTICLE
Written by: Christopher J. Walinski, DDS
If you had asked me 4 years ago where I thought my career was headed, I would have given you a fairly standard answer: clinical dentistry, education, research, and continued involvement in advancing our profession. What I would not have told you was that I was about to become the most important case study of my professional life.
I am still practicing dentistry full time. I am still teaching. I am still building educational programs, often at the request of former students. What has changed is my perspective. I am approaching 4 years since being diagnosed with prostate cancer, and that experience has reshaped how I think about health, prevention, and the role we each play in our own outcomes.
After dental school, I purchased my first dental practice in Fall River, Mass. After nearly 2 decades, I moved to San Diego and opened a de novo practice designed as a dental spa. The practice was featured in several dental trade publications as a glimpse into where dentistry might be headed.
My next chapter brought me to BIOLASE, and that’s where I earned the moniker of “the laser guy.” That role eventually led to my becoming executive director of the World Clinical Laser Institute (WCLI), the world’s largest dental laser organization, a position I held until recently, for 15 years.
After leaving BIOLASE, I taught at the University of Tennessee College of Dentistry in Memphis and later at Touro College of Dental Medicine in Westchester, NY. I loved the constant interaction with, and the curiosity shown by, the dental students and I finally understood why so many of my colleagues became dental faculty later in their years. Things we find mundane or second nature are novel to an excited next generation. Life felt stable. Work was rewarding. Home life was fulfilling. Things were great! That’s when I was diagnosed with prostate cancer.
Overnight, I became the patient.
I was treated at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. I trusted my medical team completely. But I also noticed something that I now see in many other men diagnosed with cancer. There is a dangerous thought that creeps into the deep recesses of your brain: “What difference will making changes in my lifestyle make now?”
Many men feel a sense of helplessness. And some feel that if the outcome is uncertain, they might as well not change anything at all and just enjoy life. The assumption is that the trajectory is already set, and they become the statistic they’re trying to avoid. If you’re only going to live a few more years, why not eat and drink whatever you want? What difference will eating a few puffed rice cakes make at this point? I’m going to go out in style. I didn’t see it that way. I refused to be that statistic.
I approached my diagnosis the same way I had approached every major decision throughout my career. I did research. I studied the evidence even though my doctors told me to stay off the internet. The statistics are difficult to face. And I made deliberate changes to my diet and lifestyle, not as alternatives to medical care, but as evidence-based complements to it. And I believe that each of us has the ability to improve our own outcomes. A cancer diagnosis can narrow a life if you let it. I chose to widen mine.
Learning to Live
Since my diagnosis, I’ve taken several chances I would have been reluctant to take before. I danced at a wedding last September like no one was watching. I went scuba diving for the first time, tanks and all. I auditioned for MasterChef and made it onto the show with Chef Gordon Ramsay. I would have dismissed this as completely unrealistic in an earlier chapter of my life.
When people hear I was on MasterChef they all have the same question, “What is Gordon Ramsay like?” In a word, intense. He doesn’t sit still for a minute. You can tell he is on a mission. That may have bonded us. The best comparison I can give is like that teacher or professor that everyone “hated” because they were so tough. In retrospect, they just wanted you to do well. Same with him. He hates it when you don’t live up to your potential.
Being in that competition taught me that no matter how long the odds seem, as long as there’s still a chance, you’ve got to try. I almost got voted off in the second week. Two weeks later, restaurateur Joe Bastianich told me my cake could sell for $60 at any bakery. You’ve got to keep trying, no matter what.
One of the unexpected challenges I experienced was that the producers wanted me to disclose my prostate cancer diagnosis to the point that they asked me about it almost every day while I was on camera. I didn’t want to be defined by my disease and frankly, didn’t really want to disclose it to the whole country. Still, in the end, I decided to embrace it and become an advocate and supporter for others who needed someone to look to for guidance and information.
As a result, I began writing a book based on what I’ve learned from reading thousands of scientific papers on prostate cancer and nutrition. And I launched a newsletter, Prostate 180 (prostate-180.beehiiv.com), to share what I was learning with others in the same boat. I also started a continuing education organization, the Dental Institute for Continuing Education (dicedental.org), to help recent graduates develop practical skills they may not have learned in dental school. These are all reminders that life continues and that the choices we make still make a difference.
Today, 1 in 8 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer. For African American and Caribbean men, that number is 1 in 6, and they are twice as likely to die from the disease. Over 36,000 men in the United States will die from this disease in 2026, and almost 40 more will be told they have prostate cancer every hour of every day for the next 365 days. And these statistics are steadily increasing. We all know someone whose life has been affected.
Current guidelines suggest men begin discussing prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing with their physician around age 50. If you have a parent or sibling with prostate or breast cancer, or if you are of African or Caribbean descent, those conversations should start earlier, around age 40. PSA is a simple blood test. Other even less invasive tools are on the horizon, but for now, just do it. Get your PSA checked!
Managing a Diagnosis
You may wonder why prostate cancer is so common and getting even worse. I believe one major reason is that over 60% of what we consume daily is processed food. It’s convenient and filling, but not nourishing. It’s engineered for shelf life and taste, not long-term health. High in sugar, salt, and unhealthy fats, it fuels chronic inflammation and metabolic dysfunction. Personally, I think we should be making more noise about this as a profession.
Don’t think about these foods as something you can never eat again. If you do, you’re setting yourself up for failure. Instead, make small changes that compound over time. It doesn’t matter whether you are newly diagnosed, years into treatment, or simply paying attention to prevention; nutrition is the one thing you can control. Pick a day and start making small changes.
I created the Prostate 180 newsletter to share what I learned when my own life depended on it. Now, after having read literally thousands of papers and abstracts over the last 4 years, I consider myself somewhat of an authority.
If you do nothing else, consider these manageable steps:
- Reduce ultra-processed foods. You don’t have to eliminate them. Just reduce their role in your diet. It’s tough because they are awfully convenient and craveable!
- Cook simply. Roast a chicken and use it for sandwiches instead of deli meats.
- Rethink beverages. Limit sugary and diet sodas. Water, tea, and black coffee are simple upgrades.
- Eat more cooked tomatoes, especially with olive oil, which is an excellent source of bioavailable lycopene that heads straight for your prostate.
- Eat more broccoli sprouts. They contain up to 100 times more anti-cancer protective phytonutrients than mature cruciferous vegetables. Grow your own and save money.
Finally, I didn’t set out to create a newsletter. In hindsight, it’s very similar to when I wrote my first book on laser dentistry in 2003. Sharing what I learned with others became the natural next step.
Too many men, especially male dentists, feel isolated when facing these questions. If you are watching your PSA rise, newly diagnosed, supporting a family member, or simply trying to make sense of what to do next, I’m happy to be a resource. A sounding board. A real person who has walked this path and is still walking it.
Sometimes, the most important education begins when we become our own students.
Blessings.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dr. Walinski is an author, innovator, and internationally recognized authority in laser dentistry with more than 25 years of clinical, academic, and industry experience. He holds 1 patent with 2 additional patents pending and his 2003 textbook on laser dentistry has been published in more than 10 languages worldwide. A founding member of the American Academy of Oral Systemic Health and the World Clinical Laser Institute, he served as executive director for 15 years. Dr. Walinski has been an associate professor at 2 US dental schools, was inducted into Omicron Kappa Upsilon (OKU) as a faculty member, and is the founder and director of the Dental Institute for Continuing Education. He can be reached at [email protected].
Disclosure: Dr. Walinski reports no disclosures.
