The cause of cancer is defined by The American Cancer Society as “a complex group of diseases with many possible causes.” Today, many people are being told that cancer is caused from all the things around you. The little things that you do not think of are the things that are putting you into the most harm. Things such as bottles of water, microwaves, cell phones and potato chips have all been accused of causing different kinds of cancers. News articles have reported that cancer can be caused from anything from genetics to just simply walking down the street. Does this mean that everyone will die from cancer?
Things such as tobacco and radiation are commonly heard for causing cancer. But once giving cancer a closer look, I found that there are so many more things that are said to cause cancer. These items are ones that people on a daily basis would not give a second thought to causing cancer. They consist of using a cell phone, getting hit repeatedly, and dieting. Dieting is the one that people will be the most surprised about. In "The complete list of things that give you cancer," a article by epidemiologists, gum, alcohol, Chinese food, hamburgers, coffee, cokes, bread, baby food, and potato chips are just some of the things within a persons diet that could result in cancer. According to the epidemiologists, scientists that study "the patterns of health and illness in population groups, societies, and cultures", the everyday things that we eat are resulting in cancer .
The death rate of cancer had an all time high in the 1990's. As doctors and scientists have researched and discovered the causes and effects of cancer, the death rates have dropped significantly. This year alone the death rates have dropped twenty-one percent for men and twelve percent for women (American Cancer Society_ Facts and Figures). Scientists have tested items to see their effects on people and find out if they give off any rays that can cause cancer. But can they really know if all these everyday things can cause cancer? Even the American Cancer Society says cancer has many causes. Can the doctors really pinpoint the exact thing in a persons life or diet that caused them to get cancer?
According to The Big Site of Amazing Facts, throughout a year a person consumes five hundred and twenty-five pounds of food. This means about three hundred and sixty thousand pounds are consumed by the time we are seventy. Although cancer attacks people of all ages, the risk of getting cancer increases with age. That means many are consuming hundreds of thousands of food before their diagnosis. Without accurate documentation of all the food consumed through that persons lifetime up to that point, how can the scientists pinpoint the exact part of the diet that caused the cancer?
Although things within dieting can contribute to getting cancer, it is very unlikely for the doctors to say what in your diet caused your particular cancer. Things such as potato chips can give you high cholesterol and that can contribute to heart disease, including heart cancer, but potato chips may not be the only contributing factor. Eating right can help your overall health and keep your immune system high and prevent you from getting sick. The doctors and scientists are really informing people to stay healthy to prevent illness, not to inform them that the things they eat are actually causing cancer.
I have heard a lot about all these ways of "catching" cancer, due to my mom going to school for nursing. She has really became interested in keeping herself and her family healthy. She buys us vitamins, supplements, medicines, and organic food. But, in my opinion, she has fallen into the category of people who believe the scare tactics. Scare tactics being what the public is saying causes cancer: everything and anything. Dr. Buckman, a professor of medicine at the University of Toronto, says,"the things that we do to prevent cancer are incredibly boring."(http://www.angelfire.com/ca2/NameGoesHere/cancer.htm). I mean, really, who wants to put on sunscreen EVERY time they walk outside, just so they won't get skin cancer from the sun? Better yet, who would give up potato chips- the original snack food - because it's possible it would give them cancer? Exactly, no one. The things we are supposed to do or give up for prevention of cancer are not only boring, but ridiculous. How are we ever going to cure cancer if everyday something new causes it?
ReplyDeleteExactly, doctors are trying to scare people into taking percussions of almost everything. If we live the life that will "prevent" cancer, then would we be living a life at all? According to the article "How to Live Life to the Max with Beginners Mind," there are steps to living a full life (http://zenhabits.net/how-to-live-life-to-the-max-with-beginners-mind/). One of these steps is to "discard failure." This to me means not to have the fear of death or illness. Life of fear is not a life that anyone wants to live. There is a difference in being healthy and being scared of all the things that cause cancer. In a blog that gave tips on how to avoid cancer, the list of things to eat and not to eat limits your diet to just about nothing (http://www.natural-homeremedies.org/blog/tips-to-avoid-cancer/). You are right when you say "the things we are suppose to give up for prevention of cancer are not only boring, but ridiculous." Be healthy and you will live a long and healthy life and actually live it.
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