I Plead With You to Stop Smoking

Ever since I was a little girl, I have disliked smoking. During student days, I used to feel miserable looking at fellow students smoking. During post-grad, I was part of a project on anti-smoking. And today, I write here in the hope that someone may read this and give up smoking for good. The reason: I recently lost someone very dear to me, to throat cancer.

 

My father’s close friend was a great guy! He was family to us and I liked him immensely. He was always very cautious about eating healthy. He walked daily for exercise. Was very social and was loved by everyone. Was extremely sensible. Had a vast experience and gave sound advice. The only thing he did not do right was smoking.

He had begun smoking early in life and was a chain smoker till he was diagnosed with advanced throat cancer. Showing a will of steel, he gave up smoking completely, for the first time. He fought hard, underwent radiation, made all the changes required and was declared cancer free. But a few months ago, his cancer came back. And this time the severity was too much for his frail body. Cancer had reached his brain. He passed away.

 

Smoking does you no good. It is going to stab you in your chest today or tomorrow.

 

I can understand that my father’s generation and men before that, smoked. There were no warnings. Not enough knowledge that tobacco could kill. The advertisements of cigarette companies were enticing. But today, we know the dangers of tobacco and smoking. The product packets themselves carry the warnings. We are seeing people die due to smoking. And still people continue to smoke.

 

 

Please allow me to say a few things about smoking.

 

• If you have a child in your house, the child smokes when you smoke. Passive smoke also causes cancer.
• If you smoke, your chances of impotency go up. Ouch! No man would want to invite that in his life.
• If you decide to have children and are smoking, you are passing on unhealthy genes to your unborn child. Let us call that killing your unborn child.
• With pollution levels going up in most parts of the world, we all are at risk of lung cancer. Why drive more nails in our coffin by smoking? The smoke needs to be reduced not increased.
• With every puff of tobacco, you are killing some of your tiny little body cells. That is murder. Those cells work ceaselessly to keep you up & about, and you are murdering them.
• Smoking kills you SLOWLY. Death will come one day to each one of us. There is no point in sketching our death to be slow and extremely painful. Cancer IS slow and painful.
• Your family needs you. Your loved ones need you. Live a healthy long life for them.
• Even if you are alone or don’t care about your family, a slow and painful cancer death is not what you would want in your life.

 

Smoking does you no good. It is going to stab you in your chest today or tomorrow.

 

Smoking causes 16 types of cancer. They are, Cancer of the:

Lungs

Mouth

Nasal cavities

Pharynx

Larynx

Stomach

Kidney

Bowel

Liver

Pancreas

Ureter

Oesophagus

Cervix

Bladder

Ovaries

Myeloid Leukaemia.

 

According to various studies:

• Lung cancer is THE MOST PREVENTABLE FORM of cancer.
• Smoking causes 80% - 90% of the lung cancer.
• Smoking causes 84% of deaths from lung cancer, and 83% of deaths from chronic obstructive lung disease, including bronchitis.

 

 

• Smoking is THE MOST PREVENTABLE CAUSE of cancer.
• All you have to do is STOP SMOKING! And your chances of cancer go down.

 

There are so many types of cancers, whose causes are not known. There is very little control that we have over these cancers.

 

But Smoking is a known and preventable CAUSE of cancer.

 

Throw away that cigarette packet in the dustbin and go for a run.

Laugh with your friends.

Sit in Meditation.

Go watch a movie.

Get out of the house and go sightseeing.

Breathe in some air. But please do not breathe in smoke.

 

I fold my hands and plead with you, give up smoking today.

 

Smoking does you no good. It is going to stab you in your chest today or tomorrow.

 

 

What Causes Cancer? How Can We Prevent It?

Cancer is still a dreaded word even though it has been around for a long time. We still do not have a complete understanding of this disease. Suddenly I am hearing of cancer cases all around me. Family, distant relatives, families of friends, colleagues, acquaintances of acquaintances, etc. Cancer is arriving everywhere. When I had a cancer scare, it seemed to have finally come home. Fortunately, it turned out to be a benign tumour eventually, but cancer has not left my thoughts.

 

Recently I lost someone very dear to me, to throat cancer. He had fought resiliently and survived it the first time, four years back. But then 4-5 months back, the cancer came back, this time with vengeance and utter ferociousness. Despite being tired and weak this time, he tried his best to fight it but he could not cope up and cancer consumed him. Another relative is slowly being consumed day by day and all that the family can do is pray. Doctors have already expressed their helplessness.

 

What really is happening? Cancer spread seems to be accelerating with each passing day. What is causing this? I have been trying to find this answer and have been scouting the Internet and reading whatever I can on this subject.

 

I have come across a lot of material. Here I am going to list a few websites that I thought had good information. And what is the point in knowing the causes of cancer without knowing the ways to prevent it? So I am also going to list some websites where I found information on this.

 

What Causes Cancer?

 

1. http://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancercauses/

 

This page lists out the major causes of cancer with detailed explanation.

2. http://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancercauses/othercarcinogens/generalinformationaboutcarcinogens/known-and-probable-human-carcinogens

 

This page mentions the known and probable carcinogens. Some of these chemicals are well known to us and some are unfamiliar. But it does give us an idea of what we can avoid to reduce our risk of cancer.

 

Can We Prevent Cancer? How Can We Prevent Cancer?

 

1.       http://www.rd.com/health/conditions/how-to-prevent-cancer/

 

Excellent resource for ways to reduce our risk of getting cancer. From foods-to-eat to lifestyle changes that help, are all listed in brief.

 

2.       http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/in-depth/cancer-prevention/art-20044816

 

The seven important steps to take to prevent cancer.

 

1.       http://www.forbes.com/sites/melaniehaiken/2012/05/01/cancer-survivors-heres-how-to-prevent-it-from-coming-back/#b20a3865319d

 

2.       http://www.cancer.net/survivorship/follow-care-after-cancer-treatment/healthy-living-after-cancer

 

These two links help with ways to prevent a recurrence of cancer once you have survived it.

 

1.       http://www.redefineyourreality.com/what-is-cancer.htm

 

This is a video link that a friend had sent. The concise three tips appear harmless if you practice them.

 

In brief, the steps that you can take to reduce your risk of cancer are:

 

1. Give up tobacco & limit alcohol (I will say, give up tobacco AND alcohol too)
2. Exercise daily for at least 30 minutes
3. Eat fruits and vegetables; drink green tea; drink smoothies
4. Reduce processed foods
5. Do deep breathing exercises
6. Reduce your stress; meditate; sleep properly
7. Limit your exposure to Sun
8. Go to a doctor if you suspect anything; have regular check-ups

 

I wish Good Health and Happy Life to all of you.

Cancer: Importance of Regular Check-ups for Early Detection

Any disease, if detected early, can be treated more easily. Even a sore throat can be dealt with faster, if detected and treated just when it is beginning. In case of serious diseases, early detection becomes more important.

Many types of Cancer can be treated easily, if detected early. But unfortunately, many cancers are hard to detect by their very nature. They come to light only when it is too late. And that is why cancer is often called ‘Silent’. It grows silently and stealthily inside without notice.

Then how do we do the regular check-ups of something that we don’t even know might exist in us?

Many early detections of cancer are ‘chance findings’. A routine visit to the gynaecologist may throw up a finding of a suspicious looking lump. It could be a cancerous tumour. A routine blood test for haemoglobin may indicate raised white blood cells. It could be blood cancer. So, never miss your routine check-ups.

Many cancers have symptoms common to not-so-serious diseases. For eg, the most common symptoms of Ovarian cancer are:
1. Abdominal discomfort
2. Abdominal bloating/ swelling
3. Pelvic pain
4. Frequent urination
In themselves, these symptoms do not look serious. Right before our periods start, many of us experience them. I had the first three, right from the time my periods first started. They were routine for me. What took me to a doctor was a rubber-ball feeling I had when I once touched my lower abdomen. I could have ignored it because it had no other suggestion. But there was a gut feeling that the ball that I felt had no business being there. On the third day, I was in a general physician’s office. My CA-125 levels were raised, my ultrasound (sonography) report pointed at a ‘solid’ mass with some fluid in cul-de-sac and other worrying indications. My CT Scan report said that the mass was malignant. On the 15th day from the day I first felt the lump, I was in an operation theatre with a gynaecologist-oncologist (gynaecological cancer specialist). I was lucky that later the biopsy said that it was an endometriotic cyst. But what if it had been cancer as the reports had said? I usually do not go a doctor easily but this time, luckily, I had not wasted time after I first felt that something was amiss. The point is, do not ignore your symptoms even if they look not-so-serious. Go to a doctor.

Our bodies have a survival mechanism in-built in them by Nature. When something goes wrong somewhere, our bodies send us signals. When we eat something poisonous, as soon as the body identifies it, it tries to expel it from the system. We throw up. When we overdo a physically taxing activity, our body pulls at us by aching. It tells us to stop before serious damage starts. Similarly, when cancer starts inside, our body tells us that something is wrong. I am not a doctor so I do not know what those exact hints are from the body but I know from experience that our bodies do talk to us. As I mentioned earlier, I used to get abdominal bloating/swelling before the start of my periods. But for last two years, this bloating stopped reducing with the end of periods. I thought that I was growing a paunch due to lack of exercise. My period cycle changed a year and a half back; it shortened from 28 days to 22-24 days. I thought that my age was changing my hormones. But when I first felt a lump in my lower abdomen, I realised that for some time now, my body had been telling me something. I didn’t catch those hints. Listen to your body, its subtle voice, its hints and its nudges. It will tell you that something is going wrong.

Many cancers, unfortunately, are detected only when they are advanced and difficult to treat.

Some common symptoms of cancer are:
Unexplained weight loss
Loss of appetite
Fatigue

Other than these, there are specific symptoms for cancer in women, in men and for specific organs. These may include bleeding, swelling, lumps, pain, frequent fevers, continuous coughing, etc…etc.
Most symptoms are quite common and occur in many other diseases. But…at the cost of being repetitive I will say… Listen to your body, its subtle voice, its hints and its nudges. It will tell you that something is going wrong.

If you have a family history of cancer, the importance of watchfulness and regular check-ups cannot be emphasised enough!

Cancer can be fought and won over. Many have survived even from fourth stage. But I hope no one has to reach that far to start treatment. Some cancers, like Ovarian cancer, are easy to treat but hard to detect. Only 20% cases of ovarian cancers are detected in the first stage. If only the remaining 80% women had been able to detect it in time! If after reading this, you decide to be more vigilant towards your body, go for check-ups and take care of your health, then my work will be done.