Cancer prevention research should be ‘taken with a grain of salt’

Throughout history, anxiety and paranoia have driven our society.

From the Salem Witch Trials to the Red Scare, people cling themselves to a potential threat and escalate it into extreme proportions.

In today’s world, an obvious example of this paranoia is the prevention of diseases, especially cancer. It seems new information surfaces every day depicting activities and products we should avoid.

Most recently, this product is processed meat, such as sausage and bacon. Experts are going so far as to comparing consumption of these foods to smoking cigarettes or breathing asbestos.

The real question this poses is, where do we draw the line? How far should we go in avoiding all of these possible dangers in the name of cancer prevention?

Society should be aware of evidence supporting potential causes of cancer, but this knowledge should not hinder everyday life.

First, cancer is a very tricky ailment to pinpoint. Cancer itself is a complicated group of diseases that can be caused by genetics, lifestyle factors, certain infections and environmental exposures.

Decades of research have uncovered various influences that tend to have greater effects on our cancer-developing probabilities. Even with all the information available, we still practice the habits doctors preach against, such as smoking, extensively using our cell phones, forgetting to wear sunscreen and eating fast food.

Many of these activities are virtually impossible to completely avoid when living in the 21st century. In reality, everything could have the capability of causing cancer. Nobody should have to lose sleep over every threatening news article and scientific study that arises.

No human is the same, and we all react differently to genetic and environmental factors.
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Yes, scientists can generalize about the majority of people, but a minority will always exist that goes against the grain.

Take for example some of the oldest living humans in history.

Jeanne Clamont, the oldest person ever recorded, smoked daily for more than 100 years. One hundred fifteen-year-old Jeralean Talley doesn’t shy away from enjoying McDonald’s or Wendy’s.

Contrarily, even those who use a tanning bed or expose themselves to radiation one time can develop a cancerous tumor. To claim that specific factors are applicable to every single person is both ignorant and unrealistic.

How is the stress over preventing cancer helping us? In simplest terms, it’s not.

While you may be making healthy choices and avoiding any risks, if this lifestyle is driven by a fear of developing cancer, what’s the point?

This paranoia can cause more damage than good if it interferes with a healthy mind. Anxiety can be a serious mental disorder that can lead to feelings of worry that hinder daily functioning and can lead to other mental illnesses.

The possibility of avoiding cancer  – odds that are not in your favor – is not worth your well-being.

Overall, even if the research is well-intentioned, it should be taken with a grain of salt.

I am a strong advocate for living a healthy life. I am also a strong advocate for living the healthiest life for your individual body and its needs.

Scary statistics cannot speak for the entire unique melting pot of society. Health is not a cookie cutter.

Do what the doctors recommend, but don’t forget to live in the process.