JOSH'S CONDITIONS & TREATMENTS BLOG

Debunking Cancer Myths

Cancer, it's frightening, and it seems like almost anything can cause it.  Fear grips our lives. We tremble in the darkness afraid of our coffees, cellphones and deodorants. 

Recently, however, our fears have been allayed a little by a college professor from Australia. His name is Bernard Stewart and he debunks cancer myths. 

Smoking, drinking and overexposure to the sun are still the three largest harbingers of cancer. Using cellular phones, getting breast implants, drinking coffees, eating artificial sweeteners, wearing deodorants and drinking fluorinated water are all unlikely or unproven to cause cancer.

Here are some cancer myths that have been debunked:

• If you enter a room at a 17 degree angle
• Hair Dye (The AMA says no way)
• If you eat a Tootsie Pop and the wrapper has an Indian shooting a star
• If a screech owl calls out your name
• Microwavable Plastic Containers -(The FDA)
• If you watch a sitcom only twice but each time you see the same episode
• Sugar makes cancer grow faster. (-Mayo Clinic)
• Getting pinched by a crab or a lobster.
• Underwire bras
• Repeating the word Beetlejuice three times
• Birth Control Pills
• Using words that rhyme
• Mammograms
• Watching The Wizard of Oz synced up with Dark Side of the Rainbow.
• Reusing plastic drinking bottles.

If you don't believe me, ask an Oncologist.  Find a local one.

When Meat Meets Meat

The body, which is made of meat, can be hurt by meat, apparently.  People who eat gobs of red and processed meats are more likely to develop cancers of the lungs, esophagus, pancreas and the colorectal areas.

The study, backed by the AARP and doctors at the National Cancer Institute, followed 500,000 people over the age of 50. Those who ate more red meat were more likely to be diagnosed with cancer.

Red meat contains iron and saturated fat which are known carcinogens. The meats also contained N-nitroso compounds, heterocyclic amines and polycyclic aromatic hyrdocarbons which are full of chemicals that can mutate DNA.

Red Meat has long been the bane of health enthusiasts everywhere. Here is a list of horrible things that they still haven't been able to tie red meat to:

• Gastric/Bladder Cancer
• Car Accidents (Pending)
• Leukemia
• The Disappearance of Amelia Earhart
• Lymphoma and Melanoma
• Parts of the Whiskey Ring Scandal

Red meat, like most things, can be enjoyed in moderation. Of course, I am not a doctor. An Oncologist is a doctor, a doctor that  specializes in treating cancer. Talk to an oncologist about tumors and meat consumption. Find a local doctor, here.