
All of a sudden life shows you a dead end where you are left alone without your friends and supporting family; then you try to find a way to pay bills, many more financial and social security of family members. You may have cancer but still you have a life to lead, friends to see, family who need you, people to love. Life with cancer is still a life. Cancer might be life changing but it cannot be life defining. However often people with cancer asks the doctor, ‘Why me?’ or ‘What did I do wrong?’ There is no specific answer except the technical response as DNA changed within the cells. Medical science is still finding the treatment for cure. However early detection of cancer can be cured.
Awareness of people is very low on this disease till date due to several reasons. Some think it is their fate; some think it is because of their lifestyle, some think it as an inherited disease. None is wrong. However the ugly reality is something else. Dr. Max Parkin, MD, Professor of Epidemiology at Queen Mary University, London, United Kingdom said, “it’s clear that about 40% of all cancers are caused by things we mostly have the power to change.” It needs mostly awareness among the people all over the world.
Do we realise there are 62000+ different types of chemicals being used in different products and in different forms for different purposes that we consume in daily life and 700+ new chemicals are introduced every year. Small quantity and regular consumption takes its own time to show the effect on the body. By the time we realise, it is out of control.
A carcinogen is defined as something directly causes cancer. This can be anything; a chemical substance in our air or food or lifestyle products, a virus, or even the radiation. Among various types of carcinogens, some common types are the chemicals or substances we consume in our food and mostly our lifestyle factors.
Some common food habits which can be carcinogenic:
– Genetically Modified Foods (GMOs): Much of our daily consumed foods are now genetically modified. Scientists agree on this fact that enough research has not been performed before GMO foods were introduced to our daily diet; to simplify, none know the long lasting ill effects of GMO foods, not even those farmers cultivating them.
– Canned Foods: They may contain a good amount of BPA (Bisphenol A). According to ‘Breast Cancer UK’ organisation, BPA is classified as a human carcinogen. Not only in canned foods, BPA is used in polycarbonate plastic food and drink packaging.
– Grilled Foods: Grilled meat is always tasty; but scientists have discovered that preparing food, mostly meat in this way releases a carcinogen called heterocyclic aromatic amines. When we grill the meat beyond a certain temperature, it changes the chemical and molecular structure of the meat.
– Pesticides in Food: The major danger of chemical pesticide used in the food is the amount of chemical deposited in our food. The chemicals kill beneficial bacteria in the digestive system and create a trouble on the immune system.
– Chemical Personal Care: Maximum beauty products in the market have one petrochemical base. Except this they have many other harmful chemicals like Diethanolamine (DEA), Phthalates dibutyl phthalate (DBP), dimethyl phthalate (DMP), and diethyl phthalate (DEP), Parabens, Synthetic colours etc.
– Discharge of waste from garments: Fast fashion is 2nd polluting industry in the world. The fashion industry might not have any adverse effect on the consumer except chemical dyes used however we forget one thing. Every chemical discharge from garment industries even the water can be carcinogenic for those people who come close to this waste.
Some very common and easy ways are there to protect us. Among them some are:
• Eat Organic: Organic food is much healthy as they don’t have any chemical pesticide and added preservative. Try to consume organic rice, pulses and cereals.
• Wear Organic Cotton Clothes: It is an ethical practice to make sure we use only ethical clothing made with sustainable process. Organic cotton is skin friendly and the process of making organic cotton clothes is light on environment while compared with the ill effects of traditional and branded clothes production.
• Use Natural Cosmetics: Try natural and certified organic personal care products. Only natural elements like herbs, seeds, flowers, fragrant spices, fruits & essential oils are used as ingredients. So they are safe for your skin and body.
• Make your home eco-friendly: Sometimes we forget that a major portion of pollution occurs inside our home. So we should choose natural, eco-friendly or chemically safe products to limit the exposure to toxic chemicals even at our home.
Carcinogens do not cause cancer in every case, all the time. Substances labeled as carcinogens may have different levels of cancer-causing potential. Some may cause cancer only after prolonged, high levels of exposure. And the risk of developing cancer depends on many factors, including how you are exposed to the carcinogens, the length and intensity of exposure, and your genes.
If you are conscious consumer and follow the below parameters you can still avoid cancer to a great extent:
- Lifestyle factors (consume less inorganic and more Organic & Natural products)
- Naturally occurring exposures (Avoid too much of exposure to ultraviolet rays, radon gas, infectious agents etc.)
- Toxic Household Exposures (Use more of natural and eco-friendly alternatives in and around your house)
- Pollution (All the time you need to make sure that no-product may cause much pollution after its use, then directly or indirectly it will affect you and others, now or later on)
Please remember one thing; Mother Earth has given us everything to live naturally. It is just matter of time we need to come out of our little comfortable or convenient mentality to live naturally.