Cancer- An overview

Doctors often cannot explain why one person develops cancer and another does not. But research shows that certain risk factors increase the chance that a person will develop cancer. These are the most common risk factors for cancer:
Growing older
Tobacco
Sunlight
Ionizing radiation
Certain chemicals and other substances
Some viruses and bacteria
Certain hormones
Family history of cancer
Alcohol
Poor diet, lack of physical activity, or being overweight
Many of these risk factors can be avoided. Others, such as family history, cannot be avoided. People can help protect themselves by staying away from known risk factors whenever possible.
If you think you may be at risk for cancer, you should discuss this concern with your doctor. You may want to ask about reducing your risk and about a schedule for checkups.
Over time, several factors may act together to cause normal cells to become cancerous. When thinking about your risk of getting cancer, these are some things to keep in mind:
Not everything causes cancer.
Cancer is not caused by an injury, such as a bump or bruise.
Cancer is not contagious. Although being infected with certain viruses or bacteria may increase the risk of some types of cancer, no one can "catch" cancer from another person.
Having one or more risk factors does not mean that you will get cancer. Most people who have risk factors never develop cancer.
Some people are more sensitive than others to the known risk factors.
The sections below have more detailed information about the most common risk factors for cancer. You also may want to read the NCI booklet Cancer and the Environment.
Growing OlderThe most important risk factor for cancer is growing older. Most cancers occur in people over the age of 65. But people of all ages, including children, can get cancer, too.
Tobacco
Tobacco use is the most preventable cause of death. Each year, more than 180,000 Americans die from cancer that is related to tobacco use.
Avoid tobacco.
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Using tobacco products or regularly being around tobacco smoke (environmental or secondhand smoke) increases the risk of cancer.
Smokers are more likely than nonsmokers to develop cancer of the lung, larynx (voice box), mouth, esophagus, bladder, kidney, throat, stomach, pancreas, or cervix. They also are more likely to develop acute myeloid leukemia (cancer that starts in blood cells).
People who use smokeless tobacco (snuff or chewing tobacco) are at increased risk of cancer of the mouth.

Source: http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/wyntk/overview/page4

Quit Smoking Video

Watch a video on Quit smoking http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dn50mTEGnrU
and drop your comments.


Don't hate the smokers for smoking. Seriously, you cannot force them into doing something they don't want to do. I, myself, was a smoker and I quited recently. I was treated bad just because I was smoking and people didn't like me just because of it. But no matter what they said, it didn't help me from quitting. The thing is that, I had to realize myself what I was doing, if it was worth it or not and that's why I made my decision to stop smoking. I realized it myself.
By Gichnni

How I quit smoking

The story of how I quit smoking tells my personal experience in the nicotine battle. Smoking is a serious problem that affects the whole world, more than 5 million people die yearly from smoking related illnesses, this means that every 9 seconds a person dies from smoking. Quite a number of scientists and doctors have concluded that the effects of nicotine over the human body are very similar to the problems caused by indian-hemp ,cocaine and heroine. The miracle behind my quiting smoking may be your story too. There is professional help found, and later on many people write their “How I quit smoking” story. It is good to read and learn from someone else's experience, it helps a lot to see what difficulties one went throough and how he/she succeeded. Make the “How I quit smoking” experience a support for you and others.
The “how I quit smoking” issue usually starts with “how and where it all started”. Most of the questioned smokers responded, that it was when young he/she thought it was cool. Others responded that they started smoking after an emotional problem and thought that if they start smoking they would feel better. Most smokers started when they were young, in there early twenties and evolved from several cigarettes to a packet or more a day. Almost each ex-smoker that is asked the “How I quit smoking question” will answer something different because every one usually reacts differently to similar factors. This is why so many alternatives exist to quit smoking from the well known cold turkey method to the most weird solutions like hypnosis. Smokers find it so hard to get to the “how I quit smoking” phase especially because of the psychological factor. Usually a person can eliminate the nicotine from the body and though side effects appear this isn't the biggest problem. How I quit smoking is a personal issue ! It takes time and lots of effort!
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