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100,000 cases of cancers could be avoided by changing our lifestyles. The four major causes of cancer are:
Smoking
Diet—- lack of fruit and veg
Alcohol
ObesityCancer risks are a mix of genes and lifestyles… so we can influence our health by changing our lifestyle the biggest impact on reducing risk is if you smoke stop now.
The governments solution? they are setting new targets to the NHS for cancer survival…but surely prevention is a better strategy so… my question is… where does personal responsibility step in?
If we were all told change your habits now or you will be dead this time next year… fact… we would change wouldn’t we? No one can say that… but for some of us that will be fact. So why do most of us ignore the evidence?
I belevie If your going to get it you’ll get it.
The young scientist of Ireland a few years back descovered that many LEADING brands of bread contain carsongenic material and also many Leading brand shampoos – so do we stop eating bread and using shampoo??
Cancer is serious and horrible to go through or watch a loved one going through it but targarting smokers is no way going about it.
I’d say the reason they are trying for solution and not banning smoking altogether is because its an addiction (and more importantaly a massive tax income).If i was told to stop smoking or i’d be dead this time next year – sadly I still don’t think I would stop, I’d like to but bad habits are the hardest to break.
spot on there its not just smoking etc its the stuff these ppl put in the food and the air we breath
what about the genetic side to it?
I agree that people need to take personal responsibility for their health but…when someone is diagnosed with cancer the first thing they do is blame themselves. 34% of cancers are linked with smoking, diet, alcohol and excess weight…which means that 66% aren’t. Reports like this raise the issues that can be addressed but then people sit in judgement of others and those who smoke or drink or are overweight becoming the whipping boys of the Government and people who like to take the moral high ground.
A very good friend of mine was on the large side, not from overeating or poor diet but because of a medical complaint and the side effects of medication. She died earlier this year from ovarian cancer. She had several symptoms that should have been enough for an early diagnosis and successful treatment but over the space of 10 months and frequent visits to the GP, several doctors had dismissed her symptoms as being weight related. It wasn’t until a female doctor decided to examine her that she got the diagnosis and treatment that she needed but it was too late…a 30cm ovarian tumour is hard to survive. When she was diagnosed she didn’t want anyone to know that she had cancer…she felt ashamed, that she’d brought it on herself, that people would look at her and judge her because of her size.
Yes we should highlight the personal responsibility aspect but let’s not go to the extreme of assuming that everyone who has cancer has brought it onto themselves. 66% of cases have other causes, let’s not forget that.
@tinks wrote:
what about the genetic side to it?
Indeed Tinks. A friend of mine, part of the group of breast cancer survivors that I meet up with regularly, has had her 5 year all-clear for breast cancer; it was only when she was diagnosed that she discovered that her mother, aunt and grandmother had all had breast cancer….we never used to talk about cancer as openly as we do today. Her two late-teens daughters have been offered genetic screening. What a dilemma though. One wants it, she wants to be prepared, the other doesn’t, she has the attitude of “if it’s going to happen it will happen, I don’t need a test”. But what does a teenager do when the test comes back positive and she’s offered pre-emptive surgery?
Where does personal responsibility end?
Thats me well and truly knackered then if that list is correct ,well apart from overweight i manage to tick all the boxes ,think id best say bye :roll: innit
Actually the report does say that cancer is caused by a combination of genes and lifestyle… its true we can do nothing about our genes but the report focuses on what we can change in our lives. I think innovative research should be presented to us all… its up to us whether or not we take heed.
My mother and father both died of cancer.. my dad was only 29 and died of stomach cancer he was very fit and active… my mother was a heavy smoker and died of lung cancer.
I think I might be excused at finding ways to avoid it interesting :?
@sin wrote:
Thats me well and truly knackered then if that list is correct ,well apart from overweight i manage to tick all the boxes ,think id best say bye :roll: innit
I was just thinking about you earlier today… i didnt forget my promise… you beat me to it… thats all :D
Don’t forget skin cancer either – I am not sure that the list isn’t endless!
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