Friday, December 10, 2010

Many People Still Put Cancer Down To Fate

In a recent article in Medical News Today: Cancer Is Biggest Fear But 34 Per Cent Put It Down To Fate they explore the topic of fear of cancer, and the idea that most people still believe it is due to fate.

I appreciate the article's emphasis on debunking this myth. I think it does a great job encouraging people to look for signs of cancer, and check with their doctors about symptoms. That is all very important.

But I think the article fell short. Dealing with this myth is not just about looking for early signs of cancer - I think it is doubly important for people to consider cancer prevention.

As much talk as there is about cancer prevention, this myth makes all of that news fall on deaf ears. Unless you have cancer yourself, you often do not consider cancer prevention. Even people who have a loved one with cancer, will often dismiss the need to prevent cancer in themselves. This is where the myth and misunderstanding of cancer, and the belief that cancer is largely up to fate can be dangerous.

We all know that smoking causes cancer. And yet, I see nurses who care for cancer patients smoking on their break. We all know anti-oxidants fight cancer, but very few people eat enough raw fruits and vegetables on a daily basis... they are too busy, they believe that some people get cancer and other people don't.

Every body produces cancerous cells every day. So, cancer is not something that happens to some people and not others. The difference is when the cancer cells get out of hand, and begin to grow too fast for your body to deal with it.

So, give up the idea that cancer is due to fate and there's nothing you can do. Prevent cancer before it has a chance to grow. Know the signs of cancer and check with your doctor. More and more people are surviving cancer... multiple cancers. We are strong, we can fight this - it is not a matter of fate.

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