Cancer Myths-What Can We Believe?
Cancer affects us all. If a village is needed to raise a child, it is also required to fight cancer.
As with every kind of battle, one of the keys to achieving victory is to do everything you can to shift the odds in your favor. Winning the fight against cancer is tricky, partly because there are many things we do not know about the disease and how it can affect the human body. But over the years, we have made great strides toward beating or at least managing many types of cancer.
Despite much progress, there is still much mystery that surrounds cancer. What causes cancer? What increases or decreases your risk of cancer? Can you survive cancer?
Because there are not always concrete, universal answers to these questions, myths about cancer abound. Myths do not help patients recover. They do not help caregivers provide help. Misinformation does not help prevent cancer.
Let’s talk about some of the popular myths about cancer and try to set the record straight.
Does Eating Sugar Cause Cancer?
Not exactly. This myth finds its source in the fact that some cancer cells consume sugar or glucose. But the idea that sugar can actually cause cancer or that your cancer will go away if you stop eating sugar has little scientific basis.
The closest argument that can be made to support this myth is that cancer is more likely to develop in people who are obese. Sugar often contributes to weight gain and obesity, thereby increasing the chances of cancer cells growing.
Do Mobile Phones Cause Cancer?
Far from it. Cancer cells are caused by cellular mutations, some of which are genetic. Others can be caused by external factors like chemical exposure or environmental factors.
Radiation can indeed cause cancer, but the radiation emitted by phones is relatively small.
There is little evidence that the radiation emitted from phones can cause mutations that cause cancer.
What about cell phones that use 4G and 5G technology? The same statement holds true. While these phones emit higher frequencies than their earlier counterpart, there is no proof that they can damage our genetic makeup.
Does Stress Cause Cancer?
Like the sugar myth, this one is also a little tricky. Studies spanning over several years have found no evidence linking stress to cancer. Stress by itself is unlikely to cause cancer.
What can cause cancer are the ways many people cope with stress. Activities like smoking, drinking alcohol, overeating, and engaging in other unhealthy habits can increase cancer risk.
A healthy lifestyle is crucial to lowering your risk of developing cancer. Coping with stress in healthy ways such as eating right, exercising, and getting plenty of rest can reduce your cancer risk.
Can I Still Get Cancer If My Family Has No History of It?
Yes.
Only 5%-10% of cancer is inherited. Most cancer falls into the category of spontaneous or non-hereditary cancer.
Cellular mutations are far more likely to occur spontaneously because of natural factors we can’t control or external factors like smoking, high radiation exposure, sun, and age.
Is Cancer Contagious?
Not really, no.
There is really only one way that cancer can move from one person to another, and if it were to happen, it would be the result of extraordinary negligence. If during an organ transplant, a diseased organ gets put into the body of a healthy person, the cancer cells might replicate in the host body.
It is thought that some viruses, such as HPV, cause cancer. While the HPV virus might be contagious, cancer itself is not.
Is There Anything I Can Do To Prevent Cancer?
Cancer does tend to have a mind of its own, and some people think there is little they can do to make a difference.
But, there are steps you can take to decrease the risk of getting many cancers. Some of them are:
- Wearing appropriate sunscreen and avoiding sun exposure can reduce your risk of getting skin cancer
- Avoiding smoking, vaping, and tobacco products can reduce your risk of lung cancer
- Getting the vaccine against HPV can reduce your risk of getting cervical cancer
- Eating a well-balanced, nutrient-rich diet, and maintaining a healthy weight can reduce our risk of many cancers
- Avoiding alcohol can lower your risk of cancer
- Regularly exercising can lower your risk of many cancers.
- Having regular check-ups, following screening guidelines, and doing self-exams can increase the likelihood of early detection, improving your chances of a successful recovery.
Send Cancer Gift Baskets!
Rock the Treatment is here to help you be part of the village that fights cancer. At Rock the Treatment, we make it easy to let someone with cancer know you care and support them on their difficult journey. If someone you love has skin cancer or any other type of cancer, send a helpful cancer gift basket from Rock The Treatment. Chemotherapy and radiation gift baskets are packed with the essentials needed to ease side effects of treatment, as well as enhance physical and mental well-being. See all of our cancer care packages and find the one that best supports their journey.
Source:
- https://www.cancer.net/blog/2015-03/science-fact-or-science-fiction-%E2%80%93-9-common-cancer-myths
- https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/causes-of-cancer/cancer-myths
- https://www.cancercenter.com/community/blog/2019/02/11-cancer-myths-busted
- https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/myths
