World No Tobacco Day : Moving forward to a cancer free life!

Cancer caused to various body parts by chewing tobacco is not a fact unknown. Cancer can be caused to mouth, throat, neck, nose, sinus, thyroid and parathyroid glands. Cancer cells grow in manifolds in and around other organs of the body.

Causes:

Smoking, consuming alcohol and chewing tobacco are the root causes of oral cancer and not only this, these are also a cause for stomach, liver, lungs and lymphoma cancer.

Symptoms of mouth and throat cancer:

If the wounds of and inside the lips, gums (inside the mouth), cheek membrane and sole of the tongue do not heal within a period of 3 weeks and take a longer period than this to heal, then there is a risk of cancer.

In such wounds, the flow of blood, difficulty in swallowing the food, a sensation of lump formed at the back of the neck etc. can be felt.

Things to keep in mind:

• A balanced diet must be taken along with the inclusion of fresh fruits and salad in it.
• Disease and illness causing ways must be prevented.
• Regular exercise must be done to stay fit and healthy.
• Observe your face and its details in a mirror weekly or fortnightly.
• Proper care must be taken for maintaining the cleanliness of the mouth and the throat.

How is cancer recognised:

Biopsy, CT-scan and an MRI are used to trace cancer in the body.

Stages:

In the first stage of cancer, single modality (surgery or radio therapy) and in a severe stage of cancer, multi modality (surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy) methods of cancer treatment are done.

Some beliefs attached with mouth and throat cancer:

• BELIEF - Organ distortions and body marks will be visible post operation:
  
  TRUTH - Organ distortion and body marks etc. are highly dependent on factors like what part/organ of the body is affected with cancer, at what stage was cancer traced and also at what stage was it treated. In present times through the help of cosmetic dermatology, the distortions after operation on a body part can be treated and reduced effectively.
• BELIEF - After operation it is difficult to chew food and drink water:
  
  TRUTH - There might be a possibility of this as removing cancer may require the removal of an organ/part from the body. This may result in the patient facing difficulty in consuming food and drinking water. Hence it is suggested to treat cancer in its very early stage of recognition itself.

• BELIEF - After cancer treatment, the person cannot do the routine tasks:
  
  TRUTH - A person can do his routine tasks provided he maintains strict control and restricts himself from indulging in the activities which led to a cause of cancer. E.g.: alcohol consumption, smoking, chewing tobacco etc.

Benefits of quitting smoking: Heart related

• After quitting smoking, there is a reduced risk of suffering from a heart-attack.
• After a period of 2-5 years of quitting smoking the risk of a heart stroke equals to a person who does not smoke.
• After quitting smoking, the risk of cancer in mouth, throat, food pipe and urine passing system reduces to half in a period of about 5 years.
• Ulcer, peripheral artery disease, lung and neck cancer and its associated risk reduce on quitting smoking and chewing tobacco.

Benefits of quitting smoking: Related to an expecting mother

• If a woman before turning positive for pregnancy or before the first quarter of her pregnancy quits smoking, the risk of the weight of her child during child birth reduces and can be expected to be normal.
• If a woman is consuming anti-pregnancy pills, then on quitting smoking, clotting can lead to a reduction of a heart attack and a heart stroke.

Reduction in these:

• Cataract, macular degeneration, thyroid, low hearing disability etc. are reduced.
• Emphysema - a lung related illness and bronchitis can be reduced in a period of 10-15 years.
• People who quit smoking are benefitted with a reduced risk of early death in comparison to people who continue to smoke.
• Quitting of smoking becomes strength for an individual if he is willfully and emotionally strong.

"Chewing tobacco and smoking given up at an age nearing about 30 years leads to a reduction of about 90% of the risks and illness associated with them." states Dr. Nishikanth Tripathi, specialist for neck and head cancer.

World No Tobacco Day is dated to be observed on May 31, 2016 and aims to bring about a positive message amongst the country people for saying a no to tobacco.

A healthy life, a better life!