Can You Beat Cancer?

“It would seem, therefore, that the majority of human cancer is potentially preventible.”​—The Causes of Cancer.

“A patient’s life-style and willingness to participate in the healing process can significantly affect the course of his or her health.”​—Holistic Medicine.

HOW can cancer be beaten? We are going to examine what is being done to cure the disease or to fend off its ravages. However, an adage says that prevention is better than cure. So let us first consider the possibilities of prevention through diet.

Can Diet Make a Difference?

Is it possible that some of the food we eat could trigger cancer? The book Malignant Neglect states: “The high rates of colon and breast cancer in the United States have been attributed in good part to diet.” So, what you eat over the years can influence the possibilities of a cancer being initiated. Thus the person interested in good health should be discriminating in what he or she eats and drinks.

Diet also includes the liquid intake. Since alcohol abuse can lead to various cancers, the obvious counsel is to drink only in moderation. But what do the doctors consider to be “moderation”? The answer may surprise many who believe they are moderate drinkers: “Two or fewer drinks a day, especially if you smoke.” (Diet, Nutrition & Cancer Prevention) By this definition, if you take more than two drinks a day, in this cancer-prevention context, you are no longer moderate.

The vital point is that we can do something about cancer if we individually take preventive action. But what is needed for preventive measures to have an impact on the public? Cancer surgeon Blake Cady put it bluntly: “A public education program that would . . . wean people off high-fat meats toward lower fat, toward lower-cholesterol diets, would do more than medicine will ever do by intervention to lower the cancer rate.” (Target: Cancer) In that case, what foods can help stave off cancer?

One government health agency recommends that your diet should provide at least 25-35 grams (about one ounce) of natural fiber a day. This helps to keep the intestines naturally cleaned. But how do you get fiber in your food? Eat plenty of fruits, vegetables, peas, beans, and whole-grain bread and cereals. Eat foods such as potatoes, apples, pears, and peaches with their skins on. Vegetables from the cabbage family may also reduce risk of colon cancer.

Another recommendation is to avoid animal fats. Poultry and fish are recommended over red meat. If you do choose meat, then make sure it has little fat on it or in it. Choose low-fat or skim-milk dairy products. Include foods that contain vitamins A and C, such as the dark green leafy vegetables​—broccoli, kale, spinach, chicory, watercress, beets, and even dandelion greens! Another good food color revealing vitamins A and C is yellow-orange: vegetables​—carrots, sweet potatoes, pumpkins, squash; fruits​—apricots, cantaloupes, papayas, peaches, pineapples, and melons, to name just a few.

Diet, Nutrition & Cancer Prevention also states: “The evidence is growing that eating too much fat (both saturated and unsaturated) may increase your chances of getting cancers of the colon, breast, prostate, and endometrium [lining of the uterus].” Then what is the conclusion? That your diet can make a difference in many cancers.

What other products should we avoid if we want to minimize the risk of cancer? Although this may not be a popular recommendation with some, we have to examine the role of tobacco.

What They Say About Tobacco Is True

Oxford University experts Doll and Peto wrote: “No single measure is known that would have as great an impact on the number of deaths attributable to cancer as a reduction in the use of tobacco . . . The principal impact would be on the incidence of cancer of the lung, which by late middle age is more than ten times greater in regular cigarette smokers than in lifelong non-smokers.”

The eradication of smoking would also reduce the frequency of other cancers. “A material effect would also be produced on the incidence of cancers of the mouth, pharynx, larynx, esophagus, bladder, probably the pancreas, and perhaps the kidney.”​—The Causes of Cancer.

Chemicals That Kill

Do you breathe chemical products at your place of work, or come into skin contact with them? Recent research has established that some chemicals can trigger a cancer reaction. According to David P. Rall, director of the U.S. National Toxicology Program, evidence suggests that “18 chemicals are capable of causing cancer in man and another 18 are suspected.” The U.S. health publication Decade of Discovery states: “A single chemical can act as both initiator and promoter, or two or more chemicals can interact to produce a tumor.” In that case, what are some of the risky chemicals and occupations?

The publication The Causes of Cancer lists alkylating agents, aromatic amines, asbestos, benzene, vinyl chloride, and certain compounds or oxidation states of arsenic, cadmium, chromium, and nickel. It also indicates risky occupations to be hardwood-furniture and leather-goods manufacture, as well as the production of isopropyl alcohol. Then what can you do if any of these factors are implicated in your work?

Usually, responsible employers will take steps to eliminate the danger of contamination. In some cases, increased ventilation has served to remove vapors more quickly from the work area. In other situations, workers spend briefer periods in a danger area. Protective clothing and respirators are used. However, a word of warning is appropriate here.

“Most companies don’t even know these chemicals exist, or if they know they exist, then they have no idea that there is such a thing as a carcinogen.” (Decade of Discovery) In such cases, what can you do? If your employer is not willing to protect you, then you might have to weigh the advisability of changing your job. After all, your health is one of your most valuable assets.

So can you do something to beat cancer? First answer these questions: Do you love life, good health, and vitality? Are you impressed by the marvelous gift of a healthy body? Do you want to beat cancer? If you answer yes, then you can develop sufficient motivation to make changes in your life-style, changes that will serve to lessen your chances of initiating cancer in your own body. (See the graph on page 6.)

[Pictures on page 9]

These foods provide natural fiber and vitamins as a protection against cancer