CANCER
Cancer is one of the
most typical diseases in the Western countries. Its seriousness is
seen in many countries where as many as every third person dies of it,
and it is the second most common cause of death immediately after the
cardiovascular diseases. Especially cancer of the lungs has become
very common, and for example in the United States, it takes more
victims than any other type of cancer. The reason for this is that
smoking has become so much more common during the last decades.
How can we prevent
cancer? Almost the same issues as for other diseases will be
beneficial. The same methods can be useful in preventing many
different diseases. However, it has been observed that the following
factors are especially important as comes to cancer:
Food containing fiber
has already been mentioned, and it is also beneficial in preventing
cancer. This can be seen, for instance, in the studies of Dr. Burkitt
among primitive people (see the quote above). He noted that these
people did not have cancer of the intestines at all, neither did they
have constipation or other intestinal disorders, because their food
contained a lot of fiber. He also said that such cancers as cancer of
the breast, prostate, (for example in Finland, breast cancer is the
most common cancer for women and prostate cancer the most common
cancer for men) and the womb are caused by the lack of fiber in
the food, which is so common in the Western countries. Many
researchers have later confirmed these findings.
Therefore, if you
want to minimize the risk of cancer, eat more fiber. We can get it
almost from any produce of the vegetable kingdom that has not been
refined too much. Good sources of fiber are especially whole meal
grain products such as bran, rye bread (many studies have indicated
that eating rye bread is beneficial in preventing cancer), rolled
oats, barley grits, brown bread, dark pasta, dark rice and berries,
fruit and vegetables.
Cabbages.
Cruciferous plants, such as cabbages (cabbage heads, broccoli, Chinese
cabbage, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, kohlrabi, etc) as well as
rutabaga and turnip have been proven in many studies to be useful in
the prevention of cancer. These plants contain a lot of agents that
have been observed to prevent cancer. They are useful especially in
the prevention of cancer of the stomach and intestines. In addition to
this, these plants, especially the cabbages, contain plenty of
vitamins C and K, folic acid, and beta carotene, all of which can
prevent cancer and other diseases. They are very versatile and very
healthy.
Soy and green tea
are ingredients that we do not use a lot in many Western countries,
but that are good in preventing cancer. In Asia, where these are used
a lot, there is much less cancer of the breast, prostate, and colon.
Soybean is also one of the most versatile plants: not only does it
contain many combinations preventing cancer and heart diseases, it is
also a good source of protein, group B vitamins and minerals.
Carotenes,
such as beta carotene and lycopene are ingredients that prevent
cancer, as has been seen in many studies. It has been observed that if
we get enough of them from our food, they can prevent many common
cancers. Carrots contain plenty of beta carotene, for example. Good
sources are also sweet pepper, tomatoes, cabbages, spinach, parsley,
apricots, and sweet potatoes. There is a lot of lycopene in tomatoes.
Harmful factors.
There are factors that can be useful in the prevention of cancer, but
there are also several factors that can promote it. All cancers are
not just coincidences: often there are factors that have promoted its
growth. If we leave out such rarer factors as environmental toxins or
nuclear accidents, at least the following two are common promoters of
cancer:
Excessive sunbathing
is something
that we do not always perceive as dangerous. Skin cancer, which is
just one result of excessive sunbathing, does not appear immediately
but requires repeated exposure to sunlight and ultraviolet radiation.
It generally appears in people over the age of 40, who already have
dermal tissue damage that can turn into cancer.
Skin cancer will be
one of the most common cancers in the future and it is anticipated to
greatly increase in the next twenty years. The best way to avoid this
is not to spend too much time in the sun.
Tobacco
is also something that greatly adds to the risk of having cancer. Lung
cancer, which in many countries is the most common one, is mainly
found in smokers. Their risk of getting pulmonary cancer is about
30-fold compared to others. In 1912, this cancer was still called
"the rarest illness" (Alton Ochsner: Smoking and Cancer, New
York, Julian Messner, Inc., 1954, p. 16), but now it is the second
most common cause of death immediately after coronary thrombosis. The
fact that it has become so common is the result of smoking being more
and more common.
Smokers have indeed a
great risk of getting many diseases. The American Cancer Society made
a research on 187,000 men, whose ages varied from 50 to 69 years, and
they found that the smokers had a lot of different diseases. In
addition to pulmonary cancer, they also had other cancers, such as
cancer of the larynx, esophagus, and bladder, as well as gastric
ulcers and heart diseases also resulting in cerebral hemorrhage and
strokes (E.C. Hammond ja Daniel Horn, Journal of the American
Medical Association, March. 15 1958, p. 1308). Tobacco can thus be
the reason behind many diseases, and that is why it is one of the most
major – in some countries the most major – cause of various
diseases. Fortunately, the risk of getting many diseases caused by
tobacco decreases already after a few months after stopping smoking.
Therefore, it is worth while to give up smoking in time.
