Laura Ann Posted November 18, 2004 Share Posted November 18, 2004 I posted this in another section, but wanted others thoughts on this topic. In my opinion, I think there is a lot of politics involved in the "second hand" smoke issue. Will we ever know, or be given all the information that we need to reduce our risk for cancer? There has been research done(in other countries) that shows a significant increase in risk for breast cancer in women who have had abortions. I bet most people on this board have never heard of this. Doesn't it make sense that this information should be available to women so that they can make an informed decision? There are people out there(I'm not one of them) who truly believe that the cure for cancer has been found and is being kept from us because sick people generate more revenue. I know this is kind of off the topic, but it I felt compelled to respond. Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donna G Posted November 18, 2004 Share Posted November 18, 2004 It is also known that women who have abortions tend to later have fertility problems. It is also known that women who get pregnant and have a good sized family and breast feed their children tend to have less risk of breast cancer. I think people who really want "womens right to choose" do suppress this info. Generally the blame game is heaviest for lung cancer because , I believe, smoking is not good for you, there are people fighting for a smoke free environment, and cancer scares people! These people who want a smoke free environment are also fight the tobacco companies who have a huge amount of power, and influenced with the government too. They suppressed really bad info about cigarettes for many years . The state and federal government make a lot of money on its sales tax and really don't want to loose that money. I really don't think that argument that a cure for cancer is being suppressed just to keep everyone sick! If someone had a cure for cancer , they would get a patent and rake in zillions of dollars! Believe me it would be done. Donna G www.cancernews.com/data/Article/192.asp - 35k - Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowflake Posted November 18, 2004 Share Posted November 18, 2004 May I? Laura Ann, I think that trying to pinpoint one cause of lung cancer, specifically secondhand smoke, is going to be extremely tough and always carry the "unknown". We ALL know that cigarettes contain poisons AND carcinogens and that smoking is not good for us because of that. Since I am a non-smoker with lung cancer, let me share with you some of the variables that can knock out the "it HAD to be the secondhand smoke" argument. I lived with a parent who smoked for 20 years. My mother has lived with the same smoker much longer AND her parents smoked when she lived at home - she doesn't have lung cancer (thank you, God). My brother lived with the same parent and smoked himself for a while - he doesn't have lung cancer (another thank you). My father was in the Navy, we moved often and didn't always live in a country with an EPA and strict health codes - that was all four of us and THEY (the other 3, including the smoker) do not have lung cancer. I went to college and hung out in smokey bars. My fellow hangers-out don't have lung cancer. I married a man who later joined the Army. I moved to Fairbanks, Alaska, a valley that got very cold. Air was held in place by ice fog and atmosphere during the winter and people left their cars running so they would start. Air quality alerts went out throughout the months of January and February and our air was rated as worse than Los Angeles! I have read nothing on higher incidences of lung cancer in that region... While in Alaska, I worked at an oil refinery. I have a friend there, my age and female - SHE doesn't have lung cancer. I now work in a chemical plant. Not sure the incidence of lung cancer here...but I already HAD the cancer (according to my oncologist) when I started working here. I have read that stress can cause cancer - between Alaska and today, I went through a divorce, and a job with the boss from Hell... Could THAT have caused my cancer? Possibly... Far too many variables... I feel that smoking shouldn't be allowed in restaurants and the like. My feelings are due to the fact that it now throws me into a coughing fit to be anywhere near any kind of pulmonary irritant. It has to be a bad thing, if just for the smell...and polite society does not allow for farting, another bad smell BUT a body function... Hmmmm... Gotta run, just my thoughts on not being able (in ANYONE) to just pinpoint secondhand smoke... Take care, Becky Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ry Posted November 18, 2004 Share Posted November 18, 2004 Well just want to address something the Beck didn't. You can take almost any study and make up or skew results to come up with various "facts". There have been studies that have shown that there is less chance of breast cancer in women that have breast fed. So you can make many conclusions from that study which may or may not be correct. You can say having children and breast feeding them prevents cancer. You can say getting pregnant prevents breast cancer (can't breast feed without a kid) you can say nuns will most likely have a higher rate of breast cancer...and you can say abortion causes breast cancer (again no kid). You get my drift... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeckyCW Posted November 18, 2004 Share Posted November 18, 2004 I'll chime in a couple of things here. But first I have to thank the other Beckster for the farting comment -- That was priceless and I plan to use it (in the nicest way, of course). First, I can't even wrap my head around "the cause" for cancer, as a concept. To me, it seems like cancer is really so many very different diseases. Lung cancer, breast cancer, colon cancer, brain cancer, blood cancer (leukemia), etc. We know certain things cause an increased risk of different types of cancer, and some treatments work for some cancers and not for others. Surely there are some common causes and some that are more particular to each type of cancer. Also, from what I understand, researchers are learning more and more in genetics about why some people get cancer and some don't. For instance, I learned in my previous job that there is a type of childhood cancer that needs a particular set of genes to be switched on or off a certain way. If a child is born with 3 of the 4 of those already set, so to speak, then it only takes one more "malfunction" to set off that last one, and the child will have that type of cancer. (I'm way oversimplifying, I know, but that's the gist of it.) So I wouldn't be surprised to hear that there are things about each individual's body makeup (in ADDITION to lifestyle and environmental aspects) that will make his or her risk for getting certain types of cancer more or less likely. This would explain why some people can smoke for 70 years and never have a problem with their lungs, and others can never even touch a tobacco product and get lung cancer. That wouldn't mean that cancer is "predetermined," just that some individuals are more at risk than others. All I know is that most of us do engage in some behaviors that we know will put us more at risk for cancer and other diseases -- whether it's smoking, not exercising, not getting enough fruits and vegetables, etc. I've never touched a cigarette, but you won't hear me brag about that, at least while I'm still addicted to chocolate and not exercising enough! BeckyCW Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David P Posted November 19, 2004 Share Posted November 19, 2004 Hey Laura. Joe Jackson has a song out called "Everything Causes Cancer". I didn't like it when it first came out -- perhaps because I didn't know as much about the subject as I do now, but now, I have grown kinda fond of it. And yes, I do believe -- these days, everything causes cancer. take care. David P. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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