Our habits - harbingers of cancer?

by Amal HEWAVISSENTI

Beyond all doubts what you value most is your health - a healthful living. But how very often we do find people who themselves undermine their own health with the very methods and practices which they employ to attain and promote health. Apart from that an individual’s predisposition for some kind of irresistibly “appealing” thing may jeopardize his health and most often, such a thing may cancel out his life quite prematurely. For instance, a cigarette, a strong drink or a “hot and spicy” snack can possibly allure one and call a half to one’s life in the long run.

Widespread fear exists of cancer being caused by mobile phones but whether the constant use of phones is enough to produce a brain cancer is controversial with “pro and con conclusions” following numerous researches throughout the globe.

Mobile phones

Currently many of us venture a guess that use of mobile phones on the ear for a prolonged time results in brain cancer but much controversy exists on the validity of this recent guess. Some Swedish researchers who carried out an extensive experiment on this phenomenon assertively claim that the statement holds meaning with regard to those who have used mobile phones not less than ten years.

In a detailed report of conclusions, they have suggested a course of action which might dispel the fears, and the risk of brain cancer as a by product of use of mobile phones. They maintain that the potential harm could be minimised by around 20% if the phone user fixes an Absorbing button on the phone which is devised for absorbing the shock waves. Moreover, one must focus attention on the SAR level of the phone when one buys a phone.

As the headmost precaution, they recommend the avoidance of speaking on the phone kept stuck on the ear and the user can easily switch over to the easy alternatives such as a hand free set or an ear phone when speaking.

Furthermore, the use of a case to keep the phone in, likewise guarantees security though it clearly minimises the power of wave signals. Though the researchers spelled out these precautionary measures, they have not adopted the view that use of mobile phones is responsible for a cancerous effect on the brain or body.

Fear no more...

A major research project on the supposed link between phones and cancer was brought off by a team of experts from the Cancer Research Institute of Britain and the University of Nottingham. They made a point blank denial of any relationship between use of phones and brain cancer. In this research, they querried a group of respondents who suffered from Glioma cancer and a group of mobile phone users who used mobile phones for ten years. Their data showed that mobile phone in no way had the capacity to create any danger.

If brain cancer in spite of the unfounded myths which began to create a storm of fear among the phone users; particularly those who used mobile phones frequently for a prolonged period. According to these experts, the general acceptance that there is a high level of possibility for a brain cancer to form on the side of head where phone users keep their phones is completely fallacious. The experts used a sample of 2,782 respondents from various regions in Britain. Finally they arrived at a surprising conclusion. Contrary to popular belief, they assertively declared that no relationship whatsoever is possible between the frequency of the use of phones and the brain cancer called Glioma.

Natural remedy...

Professor Elliot Rosan of Georgetown University - Washington has found an effective natural Cancer fighter. He had pointed out, with irrefutable data, that consumption of freshest vegetables chiefly beans and cabbage minimises the risk of cancer. Fresh vegetables like cabbage, leeks and beans produce a chemical called Genistine which helps to increase the level of DNA acid of the body and stop the possibility of cancerous growth in the body. The DNA acid is naturally produced in human body and it is proved to prevent cancer by increasing the growth of cells in the body.

Therefore this chemical (Genistine) is produced in beans and leeks which have been proved to be highly effective against cancer.

Much earlier than the present experiments, some researchers had hinted of the therapeutic value of these vegetables which, they claimed produce vital chemicals and preliminarily fight off cancer.

This was “revolutionary” news for people at that time and the latest researches too have discovered the astonishing properties in these vegetables and have recommended regular consumption in order to minimise the risk of cancer.

Perhaps you might avert these types of vegetables owing to the taste or pungent smell but think for a moment about the process of molecules within these vegetables which impair the “vigour” of cancer.

Mind you smokers!

Smoking is a yet another lethal habit which is well noted for “invoking the blessings” of cancer. Irrespective of caste, creed, class or age, this monster has spread its ugly wings over the majority of the world’s younger population and has duly taken its toll at a terrific rate.

To be more definite, the appalling truth surrounding the habit of smoking is that a person’s “mental addiction” is far greater and more persistent than his “physical addiction”. The physical addiction comes at the first stage of the habit and the psychological addiction springs from it more energetically and more perdurably, turning itself into a wrackful addiction.

Woman too play a major role within this social catastrophe. If a woman gets addicted to smoking particularly during her pregnancy, she would unquestionably have devastating aftermaths. Experiment data show that smoking women develop marvellous trend for getting cancer in the womb. European women are having the bitter consequences of this habit currently and medical experts rightly predict that in ten years time, Sri Lankan women too would fall victim to womb cancer as a result of their smoking.

A person had a high level of responsibility in restricting his smoking particularly when his wife is on pregnancy. The period of pregnancy is the high risk position where a woman is most susceptible to internal maladies specially womb cancer if she is a heavy smoker. We must remember one thing of vital importance. A husband, even if he had fallen to chronic addiction, must avoid his smoking before his pregnant wife by reason that the smoke can enter the woman in an indirect way and it can handicap or cripple the baby forever. Moreover, the cigarette smoke can afflict a baby with heart diseases, eye diseases and sometimes it goes to the extent that the baby might be born as a still birth.

Rehabilitation - the way

There is a clear-cut solution for the problem of smoking too. That is rehabilitation. The best possible way to make exodus from this destructive habit is to take yourself (of you’re a smoker) or your smoker to a rehabilitation center and get counselling from expert personnel. But most important, you must have the honest need to rehabilitate yourself and give up smoking because your “need” is the dominant factor which makes the process of rehabilitation easier. Any parent can rehabilitate his or her child who is addicted to smoking, under the healing atmosphere of a rehabilitation center where latest treatments, all the essential facilities and expert counselling are provided free.

Here one can raise the question whether any person could be rehabilitated in a very short time. The heads of the rehabilitation centers say whether an addict could be rehabilitated in a short time depends very much on the addicts education, intelligence, and the extent to which he has fallen prey to the addiction.

White poison

The common salt is sometimes labelled as “silent death” because excessive intake of salt is extremely detrimental and may kill a person by degrees. But most untowardly it is the most popular addictive to most of “tasty and spicy” foods and food lovers dangerously take in amounts of salt, much more than the recommended quantity which is 1500 mg per day.

The doctors from the Institute of Medicine - America say that a generally healthy person between 9 to 50 years should have his daily Sodium consumption not exceeding 1500mg but some processed food in the market are proved to contain excessive quantity of salt, that is 2400 mg.

At the sametime, they forewarn that regular consumption of such foods definitely imperils a person and may bring heart diseases and stomach cancer in the long run.

For instance, a doctor may advise a person to extremely minimise the intake of salt but that person may excessively take in salt because he is “addicted” to canned food and canned soup which contain profuse amounts of salt, as the researchers say.

Medical experts agree that the excessive amount of salt found in these artificial food items might induce high blood pressure, heart diseases, kidney failures and even stomach cancer (abdominal cancer).

Deathly food styles

Wrong food habit and styles have greatly influenced us. The destructive effects of wrong food are clearly visible in the way one behaves, that is to say, restlessness, impulsiveness, strong stimulation and lethargy are the by products of intake of processed food. Latest researches have revealed that the artificial colourings additives toxic preservatives and stimulants added to the processed food and other instant foods definitely pave the way for stomach cancer and liver cancer if used regularly.

In Americas and other European countries, popular foods such as meat, cheese, fish products and canned foods are radiologically treated to preserve for the longest time span and invisible rays are at work within the food. The accumulated rays and the chemicals deposited in the food have the potential for causing abdominal cancer, the scientists say.

Busy life

Currently, most people who lead a hectic life are used to take meals long after the stomach asks for food and they take meals just when their busy tight schedule of work want them to. This creates numerous extra troubles for a person.

Most people are dependent on instant food rather than home made food and deplorably missout the vital fibrous food simply because they prefer instant food or have to battle with a tight schedule of work in the work place. The nutritionists spell out the presence of highly detrimental properties lying hidden in the instant foods and they stress that the “marvellous taste” has become the guardian for these toxic ingredients. Most of us are used to eat “selected” food and are completely oblivious of how much nutritional value it has because the “taste and feeling” have overpowered our awareness of nutritional value and the harmful effects of the selectiveness.

Therefore we miss the much vital fibre in food which fights of abdominal disorders, kidney failures and possible cancer. Perhaps you might have developed a predilection for some liquor just after your miffy meal. You may think this is a fashionable eating when it is encouraged by those around you and the attractive advertisements of liquor on media but you never know when you are too late to understand that your health has been irrevocably undermined.Some people mingle their meals with a bit of liquor or habitually chew tobacco and betel just after the meals. Although the narcotic effect of tobacco stimulates a person, the constant chewing of betel and tobacco increases the possibility of growth of cancer cells in the mouth as is authentically proved by international researches. Another disastrous habit among people is the extravagant consumption of oil which brings a person to a point where he is unable to eat anything unless the food is blended with oil in whatever form.

This fat intake redoubles the possibility of heart diseases too. Our fashionable eating often features desserts with artificial sweet meats like icecream, chocolate or watalappan instead of vital fruits. This alone shows the gravity of what we call our food styles!