Habits

11. Habits

When it comes down to the bottom line, probably the greatest cancer-causing agent in our environment is we, ourselves. How we live and what we do affect, to a large extent, whether or not we will get cancer. Lung cancer is—80% of the time—the direct result of smoking. Cancer of the esophagus, throat and bladder has been linked to drinking alcohol and hot drinks such as coffee and teas. Early sex has been correlated with cancer of the cervix. Habits are hard to break. The first reports linking tobacco to cancer date back to the 1700s. Yet, even today, despite overwhelming evidence, people still smoke and rationalize about its dangers.

Diet has also been linked to cancer. But would Mexicans give up highly-spiced food or Japanese forgo talc-treated rice in an effort to avoid stomach cancer so prevalent among them? Would Americans forgo high-fat diets and highly-processed food to reduce chances of breast cancer and cancer of the colon? Would young girls and middle-aged women stop basking in the midday sun for hours at a time? No, because they equate a suntan with beauty. They choose to ignore the definite risk link between skin cancer and overexposure to ultraviolet rays.

However, if the truth were presented to these people in a rational manner, I am sure that they would see that it is much easier to give up their small habits than to suffer the immense discomfort and pain of cancer.