Copyright 2005 by http://www.organicgreens.us and Loring Windblad. This article may be freely copied and used on other web sites only if it is copied complete with all links and text intact and unchanged except for minor improvements such as misspellings and typos.
My wife has had 10 tumors removed from her breasts. The first two and the last two (1 each breast each occurrence) were benign. The six in between (four in the right breast two in the left breast) were malignant. Although the diagnosis of breast cancer is a devastating experience most women face up to and cope well with it. In fact studies show that many respond with renewed vigour and enjoyment of life and stronger interpersonal ties. But there is an inevitable period of adjustment usually improved by knowing as much as possible about the disease.
My wife was been “free of cancer” for well over 5 years but at her last mammogram checkup they discovered a growth they could not otherwise account for and want to do another byopsy-type lump removal. This inevitably raises the heady and frightening spectre of “cancer” once again. As I write this “ectomy” is still in our future so the results and reactions are also “still in our future. We’ve been there several times but that won’t make a diagnosis of malignancy any easier any less emotionally traumatic even though the “period of adjustment” is eased somewhat.
So after 8-9 years cancer free she was diagnosed in January 2005 with another lump and it was removed in early April 2005. Yes it was malignant but in the doctor’s words it was a ‘friendly” tumor. Our “period of adjustment” has been much easier this time around.
Cancer is the second leading cause of death in North America (after heart and other cardiovascular diseases) with lung cancer heading the list followed by bowel breast prostate pancreas and other malignancies. Cancer prevention is therefore a top for health authorities. Of known cancer causes smoking tobacco accounts for about a third of the cases and diet is blamed for another 30-70 per cent although the relationship between food and cancer is hazier than for tobacco and there are no pat answers.
In general cancer risks can be diminished by avoiding tobacco use protecting skin from ultraviolet rays limiting alcohol intake and - according to the latest evidence - by eating enough fruit and vegetables. Recent results from many studies link low intakes of fresh fruit and vegetables to high cancer rates. Some researchers claim that inadequate intakes of fruit and vegetables double the risks of cancer at many sites - as well as markedly increasing risks of heart disease and cataracts. Since only about 10 per cent of North Americans eat the recommended amount of fruit and vegetables there's ample room for improvement in fighting cancer. (Very recent studies suggest that anti-inflammatories such as ASA/Aspirin and other nonsteroidals may help to prevent some cancers.)
Diet-cancer links are complex to unravel
As foods are complex mixtures and people make wide and varied choices it is hard to prove definite relationships between food and cancer. Much of what is known about the dietary causes of cancer comes from epidemiological studies (that examine the distribution and risks for disease). Epidemiological comparisons of cancer rates in different countries and how they change offer clues. When people migrate to a new country and mimic its lifestyle they soon acquire the same cancer rates as those in the adopted country. For example if Japanese people (who have low rates of breast and colon cancer but high rate so stomach cancer) move to the U.S. they acquire typical American cancer rates - high colon and breast cancer rates low risks of stomach cancer.
Studies reveal a picture of the diet-cancer link in which some dietary constituents may promote certain cancers - such as fat (mainly from meat) excess energy (calorie) intake and heavy alcohol consumption - while other components especially antioxidants in fruit and vegetables may help to prevent cancer. Other dietary constituents that may protect against certain cancers include fatty acids in fish (the N-3 or omega-3 fatty acids) and folic acid (a B vitamin). Large studies now underway should tell us in a few years which dietary components promote or combat tumour formation. ...
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