Home > Aches and Pains > Prevention

Is There Anything That Doesn't Cause Cancer?

By Arlene F. Harder, MA, MFT

If you read enough articles on food and environmental factors linked to cancer, you can soon come to the conclusion that anything can cause cancer. However, our reaction to risk seems to be inversely proportional to whether we are able to influence that particular risk. The more we are able to be in control, the less we fear, even if the risk behavior is greater.

For example, when we drive a car, we assume we'll reach our destination. Nevertheless, when we fly somewhere, as our plane taxis down the runway, many of us say a silent prayer that the plane won't crash. Based on statistical probabilities, however, it would be far better if we prayed whenever we got into a car. Similarly, thousands continue to smoke despite the fact that one out of ten smokers will get lung cancer -- and yet some of them worry about children playing near electric transmission lines, a risk that according to many experts is non-existent or negligible.

News about cancer risk -- even if it is tentative, misleading or false -- is flashed across TV screens, discussed on radio talk shows, and reported in magazines and newspapers. In such a climate it is easy to wonder if all pleasures are bad and cancer (as well as a host of other diseases) is inevitable. Certainly a little learning can be a dangerous thing if the relationship between cause and effect is over-blown, as in the case of diagnostic x-rays, which are implicated in an extremely small number of cancers. Today there are adults who walk with a limp because their parents, when they were babies, refused to have their hips x-rayed for a condition that, if detected, could have been easily corrected.

All of this is not to say you are powerless to act in your own behalf, but only that it is wisest to use common sense and understand as much as you can about risks and probabilities.

What Should You Reasonably Avoid?

Researchers have divided risk factors into (1) "carcinogens" that appear able to activate oncogenes, such as certain chemicals like benzenes, viruses like Epstein-bar and ultraviolet rays, (2) cancer "promoters," like fluorocarbons, that don't cause the cell's DNA to change, but support change when injury to the gene does take place, and (3) cancer "enhancers," like nitrites, that are passive but seem to encourage development of cancer.

Although researchers can point to certain factors that are linked directly or indirectly to the onset of cancer, many people are exposed to carcinogens or live an unhealthy lifestyle and never get cancer. Nevertheless, you are wise to avoid those behaviors that are highly correlated with development of cancer -- such as smoking, which some believe contributes to as much as 60 percent of cancer deaths.

But how do you decide what to do about others, like alcohol? According to the American Cancer Society, "Alcohol works in partnership with tobacco, increasing the chances that smokers who also drink will develop mouth, pharynx, larynx, and esophageal cancer. . . In addition, drinking heavily enough to bring on liver cirrhosis causes changes in the tissues that can increase the risk of liver cancer." There is also evidence that even moderate drinking "contributes" to breast and possibly colon and rectal cancer. These potential risks stand in contrast, however, to other evidence that modest drinking seems to reduce the risk of heart disease, suggesting it might be wise to drink one or two glasses of wine a day, as long as you don't smoke. Deciding if you should drink alcohol may depend, therefore, on whether you smoke and your family's history of heart disease or of breast, colon and rectal cancer.

Perhaps the best approach to preventing cancer -- and many other diseases -- is to lead a balanced life in which you exercise, reduce stress and follow a diet that is low in fats, high in fiber and eaten as fresh as possible. It also helps to be born into a family that does not have a history of cancer . . . and to work in an industry that does not expose you to carcinogens . . . and to live in a house that does not contain radon (an invisible, radioactive gas) . . . and to avoid sunburns (and here it's especially a good idea to prevent frequent sunburns in childhood).

Keeping a Balanced Perspective

So what happens if you do get cancer? Always remember three things:

1. You are unlikely to know for certain what caused your cancer.

Although certain lifestyles may contribute in some way to the onset of cancer, there are many factors involved in the development of disease: environment, diet, genetic predisposition, relationships and emotions. Each of these combine in unique blendings to determine our state of physical health or illness. (See Five Factors Influence Recovery.)

2. You can't change the past.

Like all of us, your behavior was designed to meet your needs as best you could at the time. Even if you smoked two packs a day, it wasn't because you wanted to get cancer, but to help you relax and feel good. s

3. You can act consciously and deliberately TODAY to create a lifestyle that may contribute to your survival.

Throughout LearningPlaceOnline we offer suggestions for a number of things you can do to influence your recovery and future health now.

© Copyright 1998, Revised 2002, Arlene F. Harder, MA, MFT