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I was thinking about a cancer thread I was reading and partook in. I'm in my forties. I feel like I have no fear of getting/dying from cancer or some other life-ending disease. Could that be true or am I being delusional and would s___ myself if I did get something like cancer?
I was thinking about a cancer thread I was reading and partook in. I'm in my forties. I feel like I have no fear of getting/dying from cancer or some other life-ending disease. Could that be true or am I being delusional and would s___ myself if I did get something like cancer?
Both probably. Not worrying about it is actually good for you as I believe you can think yourself into a disease or at least make yourself miserable worrying about it. You should worry just enough to take steps towards not getting it, like eating lots of produce, no sugar, exercise, and other good health habits. They're not a guarantee, but the Cancer Society says that 90% of cancer is due to lifestyle related choices.
If you got cancer, and this depends on the severity of it of course, but yes, you would sh-- yourself silly unless you're truly fearless. That feeling would fade as the year goes on--studies have shown that after a year, whatever changes happened in your life, whether it be winning the lottery or getting a deadly disease--that becomes your new normal. Also, once people start treatment they tend to relax and go with the flow though studies have also found that people have a better outcome if they become actively involved in their treatment decisions. No one should ever let anyone bully them into making treatment decisions that don't sit well with them.
This year, more than 1 million Americans and more than 10 million people worldwide are expected to be diagnosed with cancer, a disease commonly believed to be preventable. Only 5–10% of all cancer cases can be attributed to genetic defects, whereas the remaining 90–95% have their roots in the environment and lifestyle. The lifestyle factors include cigarette smoking, diet (fried foods, red meat), alcohol, sun exposure, environmental pollutants, infections, stress, obesity, and physical inactivity. The evidence indicates that of all cancer-related deaths, almost 25–30% are due to tobacco, as many as 30–35% are linked to diet, about 15–20% are due to infections, and the remaining percentage are due to other factors like radiation, stress, physical activity, environmental pollutants etc.
It does often appear to be genetic but some things have led researchers away from that. For one, people who've been adopted tend to get cancer at the same rates as their adoptive family, not blood relatives. Japanese women, who have a low rate of breast cancer in Japan, get it at equivalent rates to Americans when they move here. I could go on, but you get the idea. One very good book on the subject is Anti-Cancer: A New Way of Life by David Servan-Schreiber.
Oops, just reread your post and I guess we're saying the same thing only different. You're saying genes and environment--I'm saying lifestyle and environment. I'm thinking of things that can be changed though--it's not always easy for people to move to a different locale, but it is impossible to change your genes. Turns out you may not need to.
When I attended a lecture on Pycnogenol OPC back in 1995, the panel talked about this antioxidant COULD prevent cancer...I got on it right away, then went to grape seed ex a year later and I'm banking on this OPC for prevention.
The Japanese women consume a lot of iodine foods and years ago I started on iodine drops. I'm banking on this too. When I've missed iodine for a while I would get breast pains. So I never miss, at least 1 drop daily.
I try NOT to live in fear about what may never happen. But I work with possible prevention.
I don't think anyone would know how they'd react to a serious diagnosis until they got one.
A prolonged illness would have a bigger impact than the day that you receive the diagnosis, I would guess. Ongoing treatments, relapse/remission cycles, dealing with the reactions of loved ones to the news, adapting to disability... the long haul would be what would affect a person the most, I think.
You can be totally "disease-free"...and still get hit by a bus! All of us will die...but I guess we fear a long, drawn out, miserable death.
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