By Channing King
Columnist
Cancer is word most people do not want to talk about. The reality, though, is that approximately 1.2 million people are diagnosed each year with cancer, and it is a disease that needs to be addressed. Many families are devastated by this sickness. My next couple of articles, I want to go over some important information about cancer. I believe, if you can understand what cancer is, and some health habits you can have to prevent the process, you can be victorious over cancer.
The definition of cancer is this: a process of uncontrolled cell growth mutation. There are more than 100 different types of cancer. There are three major categories: Carcinomas which affect soft tissues, organs, skin, and glands, Sarcomas which affect bone, muscle, and cartilage, lymphomas which affect the lymphatic system, leukemia which is cancer of the blood, and Metastatic which means cancer has spread from another place. The number one cancer in men is prostate cancer. The number one cancer in women is breast cancer.
What causes cancer? The American Cancer Society has a wonderful website with all kinds of information and statistics. One interesting statistic listed on their site is that 75 percent of cancer is environmental. So, could cancer be caused by people having weak bodies that are affected by a negative environment? You have to ask, if we were to get our bodies functioning better, and started looking for the environmental stresses to our bodies, could we prevent cancer? One thing I have learned is that it is always better to get to the cause of a problem rather than always dealing with the effects.
Toxins, as you can imagine, tend to cause cell damage. These toxins can be found in the foods you eat, water you drink, air you breathe, medicines or vaccines you take, excessive radiation or excessive medical procedures, and certain habits like smoking or drinking that you indulge in. We know that our habits are not going to be perfect, and we can not avoid all toxins; however, the goal should be to limit toxins as much as you can. The awesome thing about God’s body is it continually produces new cells to replace the old. With a properly functioning body, your immune system has special “police cells” that look for and kill abnormal cells in the lymph glands, blood and soft tissue. This helps your body fight the toxins and negative stresses that cause the cancer process. Have a great day!